Evangelion VS Godzilla: Who Will Know?
by MondasianCyberman
Summary: For the first time, Nerv is starting to believe that the Angels can be defeated. But on the same day they finally take the fight to the Angels, they discover have a new enemy, the perfect organism - Godzilla. Who is the true god incarnate?
1. A New World

The cool water was soothing. It had never experienced this sensation before. It's life had been spent in the cold, dark deep, scavenging what it could, but now hunger had forced it up to this new, beautiful world.

It's head breached the water, and it felt the cold wind for the first time, but it didn't notice. It's eyes were transfixed on the green mass that rose up before it. Overtaken by curiosity, it continued on.

* * *

 _"What is this?"_ Rei thought, staring up at the ceiling as she lay in her bed. _"What am I feeling?"_ Her stomach felt compressed, her body temperature was rising, and small amounts of moisture had formed in her eyes. It was an unpleasant sensation.

 _"Is this a result of my absence from the mission?"_ She thought of Shinji and Asuka at the volcano. What was happening? Had everything succeeded? Or had there been a complication?

It had been a complication that had bought her and Shinji closer. She thought of the same thing happening between him and Asuka, and the sensation grew more unpleasant.

 _"This is pointless,"_ she thought. _"I should go to HQ in case I'm needed."_

* * *

It ground to a halt as it reached the sand. It wriggled and thrashed, but it couldn't move any further. It was frustrated that the green was so close, yet inaccessible, and it continued thrashing in rage.

A shudder ran through it's body, and it stopped. It felt a horrific pain throughout it's body as bone warped, muscle shifted, and skin expanded, and it thrashed again, this time in agony. Blood poured out of it's mouth and gills, and the water around it began to boil, adding to it's confusion and panic.

After what seemed like an eternity, the torture stopped. It felt uncomfortable in the water now, it's body yearning to go on land. It tried to conquer the sand again, and this time, it's powerful new legs easily stepped onto dry land.

It saw a mass of gray shapes in the distance. Curiosity again drove it forwards, as it marvelled at the new sensations that it was experiencing. Air entering it's lungs, sand beneath it's legs, and the many new smells wafting through the air.

* * *

Misato sighed in relief as 01 and 02 finally came out of Mount Asama, their armour melted almost beyond recognition. "Armour's damaged, but little damage to the internals," Maya reported, grinning. Misato grinned back, and activated visual comms with the two pilots. "Good work, you two! Now hurry up and get changed, we have some hot springs to get to!" Asuka rolled her eyes. "Really? I go into a volcano, and I still can't go to Okinawa?" Misato chuckled. "When all this is done, I'll buy you a house down there, how does -"

"Ma'am!" Aoba yelled, panic in his voice. "Tokyo-3 is under attack!" "What?!" Misato stared at him. "Another Angel?! Now?!" "No, it's... it's not an Angel, it's AT field is too weak to detect! We had no warning!" Misato's heart stopped. "So that means..." "Casualty reports haven't come in yet, but several blocks have been severely damaged!" "Defence systems!?" "Online, but they've had no effect!"

Misato swore. "Deploy 00, and get 01 and 02 back to the cage so we can get them repaired enough to send out there. Have all staff here return to Nerv HQ ASAP, now move!"

* * *

Fuyutsuki stared at the screen in disbelief. The strange creature, resembling a giant eel on legs, had torn through Tokyo-3, destroying everything in it's path smaller than a skyscraper. He looked down at Gendo. He was in his normal, calculating pose, but he was breathing a bit heavier, his eyes somewhat wider.

"This might be a substantial spanner in the works," Fuyutsuki said, trying to maintain his composure. "Neither we nor the council ever even considered a non-Angel threat on this scale." "It doesn't matter," Gendo replied. "EVA-00 will defeat the creature, and the plan will proceed." "And if Rei can't defeat it?"

Gendo was silent.


	2. Persecution of the Masses

Toji pressed himself against the roof of an overturned car, the dust from the hospital's collapse covering his body in a thick layer. His arms tightened around Sakura's tiny form, as much for his comfort as for hers. "It's okay sis, it's fine, I got ya, it'll all be fine!" He risked a look over the top of the car, and saw the creature push its way through the debris of the hospital. It's giant eyes and open mouth gave it a perverse appearance of amazement and joy as it stumbled forwards, past the body-strewn wreckage.

As Toji watched, blood poured out of it's gills, but if it was in pain, it didn't show it - it simply continued moving towards Toji. He ducked back behind the car. "Oh shit, shit, shit!" he whispered. He looked down at Sakura. "We're just going to go somewhere safer now, alright?" She nodded, and Toji rushed to his feet and ran.

The small creature took a sharp right turn, behind more of the strange, square rocks. Fascinated, the giant turned to follow it, its mind racing with questions about these tiny organisms.

Toji shot a glance behind himself, only to see the creature still following him. Despite its clumsiness, its sheer size let it move too quickly for Toji to easily outrun. "Goddamit, Shinji, where are you?!"

* * *

EVA-00 stood on the catapult, ready to be launched to the surface. Inside, Rei calmly waited for orders, considering what she'd been told about 01 and 02's conditions. _"Ikari put himself at risk for the Second Child. Like I did for him. Like he did for me."_

"Why don't you try smiling?"

 _"Their mission was a success. Why is it making me feel this way?"_ "Rei!" She looked up to see Misato on visual comms. "We'll be deploying you directly behind the creature. Do whatever you can to stop it. It doesn't have an AT field like an Angel, but it made it through all the defence systems, so it most likely has incredibly tough skin. Do everything you can to stop it!" "Yes."

"EVA-00, launch!"

Rei was pushed back in her seat as 00 was shot upwards, identical dull green walls flashing past her in almost instant succession. Then came a shock of brightness, and sunlight filled her view as the Eva came to an abrupt halt. The creature was dragging itself away from her, its feet leaving massive holes in the road. She studied its body, looking for a weakness, and almost immediately found what looked like one - a gash of exposed flesh running from the base of the skull to part way down the tail, with leaf-shaped spines sticking out like splinters.

She charged forwards and jumped onto the creature's back, plunging the Eva's fist into the exposed flesh, blood gushing out of the wound. The creature rose up in shock, and, seemingly defying physics, stood almost completely upright. Unprepared, Rei fell from its back and crashed on the street below.

It dropped itself down to the ground, and turned to face 00. With its mouth full of crooked teeth, it bit down on the Eva's foot and shook it like a rag doll. Inside the cockpit, Rei was disorientated, but the Eva wasn't injured in the least - it's AT field wasn't affected in the slightest by the creature's teeth.

With her free foot, Rei kicked the creature's face, forcing it to back off. She quickly rose to her feet and charged the creature again, but it again rose up, protecting its vulnerable spine, and all she could reach was the unbroken skin on its belly. She deployed her progressive knife and rammed it into the creature's stomach. It slowly began to cut into its flesh, then snapped.

She threw the knife down and grabbed its body, trying to hold it up in the air as it struggled in her grip. She pulled it to the left, then threw it to the right, and it collapsed onto a collection of small buildings.

The cold giant stood over it as it struggled to escape. This new world had many dangers, it seemed, and it was desperate to return to the safety of the water. Then, a shudder ran through its body, and it knew what was coming.

It writhed in agony as every fibre of it's being changed. Its skull melted and shifted, its gills retracted, its spine cracked to an upright position, arms tore their way out of its chest, and its tail thickened. A strange feeling formed in its throat, and it let out a roar of pure agony.

"Amazing... it's evolving!" Ritsuko whispered as she watched the spectacle from the command bridge. Misato swore. "What the hell **is** this thing?!"

It now felt even more comfortable on the land, and the cold giant no longer seemed so dangerous.

Rei watched as the mutated creature stumbled towards her, then, to her surprise, it broke into a run, and grabbed 00 by the throat with its mouth. Again, the AT field held strong, but the sheer physical force pushed the Eva down. Recovering from her surprise at it's sudden mutation and ferocity, Rei grabbed the creature's jaws and prised them away from the Eva's throat.

The creature rose up, as if to strike again, but it suddenly froze and began to shake. A deluge of blood poured out of its mouth and gills, covering 00. Steam rose up from the amazingly hot blood as it slowly ate into 00's armour. Despite the damage, Rei again rose up, and readied herself for the creature's next attack.

Patches of exposed flesh on it's body began to glow a bright orange, and the creature turned it's head back, looking at the bizarre sight, it seemed to realise something, and turned back to 00. With a roar of defiance, it turned around and ran, holding itself low to the ground.

Rei charged and followed it through the wreckage of the city, but just as she was about to catch up with it, she snapped to a halt. She had run out of cable. She quickly removed the cable and ran after the creature through the countryside, only to see it reach the ocean and disappear beneath the waves.

She stood on the beach, watching the waves in silence for a few moments. Then she was plunged into darkness as the reserve power cut out.

* * *

Misato held her head in her hands as she sat at her desk hours later. Reports were still coming in, but the damage was already immense. Everything in the creature's path had been crushed. Hundreds had died, caught unaware in their homes and cars. _"And we still have no idea what the hell it was,"_ Misato thought bitterly.

She looked up as Hyuga walked in. "More reports?" she sighed. "Yes ma'am. We've found that Rei's apartment was actually destroyed in the attack." Misato scratched her head. "So, she has nowhere to stay now, then... don't worry, I'll deal with it."

She picked up her phone, and punched in her home number. "Hey Asuka, this is Misato, can I speak to Shinji? Hey Shinji, could you get dinner for four tonight? We have a new roomie!"


	3. Moving In

Rei walked with Misato towards the apartment, listening as the Captain rambled on. "Trust me, Shinji's cooking is great, you're gonna **love** it! Now, would you like to share a room with Asuka? Or, you can take my room, and I can just sleep on the lounge, that's fine." Rei considered for a moment. "I would like to share a room with Ikari."

Misato stopped for a moment, then chuckled and continued on. "Alright then, I don't think Shinji will have a problem with that!" She opened for door, and they walked in. "I'm home!" Misato yelled, kicking off her shoes, as Rei simply continued walking, dirtying the carpet. Misato watched in surprise. "Uh... Rei?" Rei turned back, her face blank. "Yes?" _"She has no idea, does she?"_ Misato thought, taken aback. "Can you please take your shoes off?" Rei nodded and undid her laces, leaving her shoes on the carpet and continuing on. Misato sighed and picked up the shoes, placing them next to the door.

Shinji looked up from the stove and smiled as Rei walked in. "Ayanami, how are you? Are you okay?" She regarded him with her usual blank stare. "I'm well." "Let me guess," came Asuka's voice from a chair in front of the TV, "you're only here because you were ordered to, right?" She turned in her chair and fixed Rei with a disgusted glare. "Yes," Rei replied matter-of-factly, and Asuka snorted.

Rei turned back to Shinji. "Ikari, I will be sleeping with you from now on." There was a loud clatter as he dropped a tray. "Wh-wh-what?!" Behind her, Rei was faintly aware of Asuka and Misato staring at her with wide eyes and gaping mouths. "Is there an issue with us sharing a room?" she asked in a quiet voice, her heart sinking. "Sharing a... oh, no, no, that's not a problem at all!" Shinji hurriedly explained, and a faint smile came to Rei's face. "Thank you, Ikari."

Misato tapped Rei on the shoulder. "Uh... Rei, dear, why don't you... have a bath? That might help you calm down after today, huh?" After the stress she'd endured, the idea of a bath was very appealing to Rei, so she nodded and headed for the bathroom.

She reached the laundry and stripped off her clothes, dumping them in a pile in the middle of the floor. She opened the door to the bathroom, and was immediately met by a loudly squawking Pen-Pen. Surprised, she quickly walked back to the dining room. "Captain Katsuragi, your Penguin is occupying the bathroom." Misato looked up. "Hmm? Oh, sorry about that. Pen-Pen, come on, let Rei have a bath!"

Visibly annoyed, Pen-Pen came waddling out of the bathroom, and retreated to his fridge. "The same thing happened to me on my first night here," Shinji chuckled, still focusing on the cooking. "I think I had it worse, though, because I -" he turned around and saw Rei's nude form, and instantly turned bright red. "Ayanami... you... you're..." "What is it?" Asuka called out as she walked into the dining room. "Is she - what the fuck?!" Rei watched them, confused. "Is there an issue?" Asuka looked at Rei's feet, her face now the same colour as her hair. "Just... put some damn clothes on!" "I believe it's more effective to bathe nude." _"Are you for real?!"_ Asuka thought incredulously. "Okay, fine, have a bath then, just... stop being fucking naked in front of us!"

Confused, Rei nodded, noting that her cheeks had grown unusually warm.

After a few moments of silence, Asuka returned to her seat in front of the TV, her mind racing.

"Let's be good friends!"

"Why?"

"Because it'd be convenient, you know what I mean?"

"If I'm ordered to, I will."

 _"Is she actually a bitch, or does she really just not know how to be normal?"_

* * *

"All evidence points to it being Godzilla."

Gendo stared into the darkness, past the faces of the Human Instrumentality Project Council. "Goro Maki's report is from 1954," he said in a flat tone. "How can we be sure that his 'Godzilla' could live that long, let alone survive Second Impact?" "We can't be, Gendo," the councilman sneered. "But what other explanation do you have?"

Chairman Lorenz cut in before Gendo could reply. "Godzilla is the only possible explanation, Ikari. And, if Maki's theory is to be believed, it poses an extreme risk to the completion of the Human Instrumentality Project."

Gendo was growing impatient, but maintained his composure. "In that case, how do we proceed? Nerv is equipped to fight Angels, not Godzilla." Lorenz glared at him. "The Evangelions are the best option we have so far, but the prototype, test type, and a single production type aren't enough to deal with it. EVA-Ex.01 will be made operational and transferred to Japan, while work on Units 03 and 04 will be accelerated. In the meantime, Nerv personnel are to be briefed in full on Godzilla. There is no reason for secrets in that regard."

Gendo raised an eyebrow. "So, you expect me to hold out against the Angels and Godzilla with the prototype, the test type, an experimental type, and a single production type?" "We're giving you everything we have available, Ikari," Lorenz warned. "If you fail, it will be your fault alone." The council disappeared, and Gendo was left alone in the darkness.

* * *

"So, how many?" Asuka asked, her food untouched. Misato looked up. "Hmm?" "How many people died today?" Misato was silent for a moment, then quickly mumbled "full reports aren't in yet. Anyway," her voice rising with more false happiness, "Rei, how are you enjoying your new home?"

Rei looked up from her food. "It's different from my apartment. It feels... warm." Shinji remembered the grimy, dull building he'd walked into, and paused as he considered what it must have been like to live there. "Well," he said, looking up at Rei. "This... this is your home now, Ayanami." She smiled faintly, and gave a small nod.

Rei watched as the others spoke over their dinner. It seemed so easy for them to talk to each other, yet she had no idea of what to say. Strangely, this seemed to have a physical impact on her. Her stomach felt like it was shrinking, and, again, small amounts of moisture were forming in her eyes.

 _"She seems lonely,"_ Shinji thought as he glanced at Rei. _"Like I was when I started living here."_ "Ayanami?" she turned to face him, and he smiled in what he hoped was a comforting fashion. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she answered. _"Why am I lying to Ikari?"_ "I'm full," she said, and left the table. "You could **try** thanking him," Asuka muttered, and Rei paused. She turned back to Shinji. "Thank you, Ikari." Shinji smiled. "You're... you're welcome, Ayanami." Asuka rolled her eyes.

After dinner, they went to bed, with Rei placing her mattress close to Shinji's. He was facing her, and she looked at his face as he closed his eyes. For some reason, the sight of him was accelerating her pulse, and she felt compelled to turn away.

"Ikari?" she asked, her stomach again feeling like it was shrinking. "Yes, Ayanami?" She was silent for a few moments, thinking how to put her feelings into words. "Are we friends?"

There was a deafening silence for several seconds, and Rei's stomach began to feel worse. "Yes," came Shinji's reply at last. "Of course we are." Rei began to feel normal again. "I'm glad," she said, smiling.


	4. The Odd One Out

Misato stood on the command bridge, watching the monitors. There'd been no activity, Angelic or otherwise, since the previous day. _"Thank God,"_ she thought. _"We're going to need a long time to recover."_ "Misato," came Ritsuko's voice from behind her. She turned around. "Yeah?" "You need to read this." Ritsuko handed her a folder. "These are your orders from Commander Ikari, regarding the creature that appeared yesterday."

Misato read the information about Godzilla in disbelief. "God... this is all real?" Ritsuko shrugged. "Who knows? These are mostly just theories, but based on what we know, they seem to be correct." Misato swore. "The Angels were bad enough, but now we have to deal with this thing as well?" She turned the page to see the section on Nerv's planned response.

"EVA-Ex.01? What the hell is that?" she muttered. "It's an experimental design that was tested for a bit, then deactivated," Ritsuko replied. "It has more mechanical components than biological. The design was concluded to be too complex and expensive to proceed with." "What, has it got wheels instead of legs?" Misato joked. Ritsuko cringed. "Well... yeah." "The fuck?! Seriously?!" Misato sighed. "Who the hell did you get to pilot it?"

* * *

She looked out of the window to see Ex.01 suspended below the plane, the Austrian Alps passing below them. _"Japan should be fun,"_ she thought. _"And I finally get to use this thing for real. So much for not being needed anymore!"_

She smiled as she opened a bag of crisps, enjoying the idea of racing through Tokyo-3 and kicking ass in the bizarre Eva. She looked back down at Ex.01. "Ready to have some fun, sexy?"

* * *

Rei watched as Shinji spoke with his friends at lunch time. He didn't actually speak that much. Toji and Kensuke carried most of the conversation, with Shinji speaking up every now and then. _"Would simply being with them make them consider me part of their social group?"_ She got up and moved closer to them. "... that Sakura's going to be fine, but just seeing it... it was... y'know, let's talk about something els - Ayanami?" Toji looked up at her. "Everything alright?" She shifted her gaze from Shinji to him. "Everything is alright. I would..." she stopped, the words seemingly lodged in her throat. Her face was getting hot again as well. "... I would like to sit down with you three."

Toji and Kensuke stared at Rei, the mute anti-social girl, in disbelief. Shinji smiled. "I'd like that, Ayanami." She picked up a nearby chair and put it down near them. As she sat down, Toji recovered from his surprise. "So, Ayanami... how've you been going?" Rei frowned slightly in confusion. "Going where?" Toji chuckled. "No, I mean, how are you feeling, what's happening in your life, stuff like that."

She thought for a moment. "I now live in the same apartment as Ikari, which makes me feel good." Shinji looked at her in surprise. "But there are some things that I don't know about." She remembered the previous night, and when Shinji had entered her first apartment. "Ikari, why do you react in that manner when you see me nude?"

The three boys, and Rei's heart, froze. _"What am I meant to say?!"_ Shinji thought, panicking, vaguely aware of a vibration against his thigh."Uh... well, i-it's just... y'know... it makes things... uncomfortable." Shinji watched in dismay as Rei's expression went from confused to hurt. "Why... why does it make things uncomfortable, Ikari?" she asked quietly. "It's... it makes things.. too... too sexual for me." Rei's eyes grew wider. "Ikari, I have no intention of bearing your offspring. I'm... sorry if I gave that impression."

Shinji's panic grew. _"What do I do now?!"_ he frantically wondered. Fortunately, Asuka soon came over, unaware of their conversation. "Come on, idiot, Misato wants us at HQ. Perhaps try turning your phone on next time?"

* * *

"This is Godzilla." The three pilots looked at the creature on the screen. "What is it, a Dinosaur?" Asuka muttered. "No. It's a heavily mutated deep sea creature," Ritsuko declared, watching the incredulous faces of the pilots. "In 1954, radioactive waste was dumped into the Pacific. Professor Goro Maki, a Japanese scientist working with the US Department of Energy, discovered a deep sea creature eating the waste. It soon began developing at an alarming rate. Maki believed that it's body had altered to use radiation as an energy source, and that it could develop the ability to evolve almost instantly to suit it's environment." The image on the screen was replaced by footage of Godzilla's mutation in the battle with 00. "We now know that it can evolve, but we don't know if Maki's predictions about future evolutions will come true." She paused for a moment. "Professor Maki came from Odo Island, where they have a myth about a living god, named Godzilla. Maki believed this creature was the perfect organism, and he named it after that myth."

"So how do we kill it?" Asuka growled. Misato stepped forwards. "Godzilla doesn't have an AT field, but it can still shrug off almost anything we throw at it due to it's tough skin. However, Rei has shown that an Eva can hurt it by directly attacking the exposed flesh on it's back. And if we can hurt it, we can kill it."

Shinji raised his hand. "What about the Angels, though? Won't they still be attacking?" Misato nodded. "Yes, we can assume they will be, and for that reason we're getting reinforcements. EVA-Ex.01 left Germany this morning, and should be arriving later today. Units 03 and 04 have had their production schedules moved up as well." Asuka leaned forwards. "And who's the pilot for Ex.01?" Misato checked her files. "Her name is..."

* * *

Several hours later, Misato and the three pilots stood near the hangars of a nearby airbase, watching as a large aircraft with Ex.01 slung underneath it approached. The Eva made for a bizarre sight, with four mechanical, spider-like legs, each with a giant wheel at the 'foot'. In place of arms were two more robotic appendages, one grasping a lance, the other having large pincers. "Seriously?" Asuka raised an eyebrow. "I can see why it was scrapped."

Rei glanced at Shinji. "Ikari, I apologise if I made you feel uncomfortable today. It's just... I don't know what to do in social situations." Shinji smiled. "It's okay, Ayanami. You aren't used to being around other people for so long, are you?" She shook her head. There was a loud crash as the Eva fell to the ground. The transport plane's engines rotated until they were vertical, and it descended to the tarmac. Misato grinned. "Okay then, let's go and say hello to our new roomie!" Asuka's head snapped around. "What?! You didn't say she'd be **living** with us!" Misato shrugged. "Where else would she stay?"

"You must be Captain Katsuragi!" a cheery voice called out. They watched as a brown-haired girl ran towards them, the base's lights reflecting in her glasses. "And you three must be..." she quickly sniffed the face of a shocked Asuka, then darted to Shinji and Rei, doing the same to them. "... the other pilots!" She flashed a grin at Asuka's agape mouth. "Pleased to meet you all, I'm Mari!"


	5. An Awakening

Shinji numbly watched the television, allowing himself to be distracted by the poorly-written soap opera. Misato had to work late, so it was just the four pilots in the apartment. "Oh, my **god** , just tell her you have cancer you dumbass!" Asuka groaned. "This forced secrecy bullshit is so stupid!" "I agree," Rei said. "There is no benefit from hiding his condition." "Even **you** get it!" Asuka laughed. "You should be writing this instead!"

"Hey, who's this little guy?" Mari asked from behind them. Shinji looked back to see her holding an indignant Pen-Pen. "Put some fucking clothes on!" Asuka yelled, looking away from the nude girl. "Please..." Shinji whispered, his face bright red. "Oh?" Mari looked down at her body. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Is it really a problem, though?" She placed Pen-Pen on the ground and leaned in close to Asuka. "Shouldn't we get to know each other better? We are going to be working together."

"Just put some fucking clothes on before I beat the shit out of you!" Mari sighed. "Fine. Suit yourself. What about you, puppy boy?" Shinji's mouth fell open. "Well... uh... ah..." "Ikari doesn't wish to copulate with you," Rei mumbled, still watching the TV. "Copulate?" Mari grinned. "You dirty girl, are you interested?" Rei kept her eyes on the screen. "No." Mari frowned, defeated. "Alright then, maybe later, then?" "Just get back to your fucking shower, bitch!"

"You slept with him?!" screamed the TV. "You bastard, you told me you would love me forever!" Rei frowned. "I don't understand," she asked Shinji, trying to speak over the gunshots and overly dramatic music. "Why would she be upset that he slept with another man?" _"I'm going to have to explain everything to her,"_ Shinji thought. _"Why did you let her live like that, father?"_

"Uh... well," he started, "people... sleep with each, uh, each other when they... when they love each other." Asuka looked at Shinji with absolute disdain, and he shrugged. _"I don't want to explain_ _ **that**_ _to her yet!"_ he thought. Rei was silent for a moment. "I see."

* * *

Kokuten Kōdō sat back on his chair, enjoying the cool night wind, the rocking of his fishing boat, and the isolation. _"There's a lot to be said for being able to hear one's self think,"_ the old man thought.

He opened his eyes as the boat's rocking turned rough. _"Storm?"_ he thought, worried about the prospect of facing a storm by himself. He looked out to the sky, and saw no clouds. Not that he noticed. His eyes were stuck on the giant, round, rough black object close to the boat, bright red cracks glowing in the dark.

"A volcano?!" he gasped. _"No, it can't be, it's moving!"_ The object passed alongside the boat, it's mass dwarfing the humble fishing vessel. Kōdō stared at it, his eyes drawn to a white circle on the object, which had a black circle in the middle. _"It looks almost like an -"_ he screamed as the eye snapped down to look right at him.

* * *

Rei lay on her futon, mulling over what Shinji had said. "Ikari?" He stirred, and turned over to look at Rei. "Yes, Ayanami?" She considered for a moment. "What is love?" He was silent for a few moments. "Well.. uh... love is... when... it's when you really like some - someone, and... you want to spend the rest of their - of your life with them." She nodded. "I see." He smiled. "Goodnight, Ayanami," he whispered as he turned over.

She watched him for a few minutes, her stomach unusually tight. Then, she stood up, walked over to Shinji, pulled up the sheets, and slid in next to him. "Ayanami?! What... what are you doing?!" Shinji whispered. "I'm sleeping with you," Rei replied, "because I love you."


	6. A Realisation

Asuka closed her eyes, trying to forget the fact that Mari was sleeping in her room. _"Why couldn't you go on the couch or something? Do you get off on annoying me?"_ She shot a glance at the door to Shinji's room, tempted to swap with Rei. _"Asuka, you idiot, don't do that, idiot Shinji will think you're some desperate piece of shit. No way he'd get with someone as needy as he is. Wait, why the fuck am I even thinking about him? Kaji's around."_

She bit her lip. _"But... Kaji doesn't look after me the same way Shinji does..."_ She lay still, remembering the events that had unfolded in Mt. Asama.

In the other room, Shinji stared at Rei in surprise. "Ayanami, wha... what do you mean?" Rei looked away from his eyes, blushing. "Ikari, you've been... kind to me. In the battle with the 5th Angel, you came to help me as soon as you could. You've made me realise things about myself. So... yes, I really like you, and I would like to spend the rest of my life with you."

Shinji's mouth fell open, and after a few moments of summoning his courage, he moved forwards, and pressed his lips against Rei's. Her eyes widened. "What does that mean?" Shinji smiled. "It's another way of saying that I love you."

* * *

Misato gulped down the disgusting instant coffee. _"Anything to keep me awake."_ She stared at the paperwork that had piled up on her desk. _"This is so goddamn pointless. Of course I want to requisition more ammunition, dumbasses, and is it really so hard to make one form for all the calibres? Jesus."_

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you look when you're tired?" Kaji whispered, grabbing her waist from behind. "Have I ever told you how annoying you are?" she growled, removing his arms from her body. "Alright, alright," he said, raising his hands in mock submission. "Busy night, huh?" Misato sighed. "You have no idea... it sounds stupid, but the hardest part of all this is looking after the kids." Kaji shook his head. "That makes sense to me. You were trained to be an operations officer, not a Mother."

She grunted in agreement. "I just know that at least two of them are going to fall in love or something. And sure, it's cute, but the more I think about it, the more it seems like it could be... dangerous. Think of everything that could go wrong. What if one of them gets killed, or they break up, or hell, what if someone gets pregnant?!" Kaji nodded. "And the problem is that, in an environment like this, and especially at their age, they're more likely to reach out for romance, to comfort themselves. Asuka's actually been trying to seduce me, the poor kid."

"And Shinji..." Misato mumbled, "he's so desperate for love that he's almost certain to make a mistake." Kaji nodded. "He's too sensitive for this kind of work. Yet he's the only one who can pilot EVA-01, isn't he?" Misato nodded. "I didn't think that saving the world would cause me this much... guilt."

* * *

Godzilla moved through the water. Its waist down was submerged, yet it could still be seen from kilometres away. It simply kept moving forwards, feeling no tiredness in the slightest. All that mattered to it was returning to that place.

A dense fog fell around it as the hours went on. It couldn't see, but it still knew where to go. Its body was sensing the magnetic currents and homing in on them. It would arrive, and soon.

It stopped in it's tracks as the fog suddenly shot out and anchored itself to Godzilla's cragged hide. It shuddered as it's mind was violated by another presence. "What are you?" a presence asked. "You are like us, but you are one of the others." Godzilla stood still as it tried to understand the ideas flowing through it's mind.

"Us? The others? I am like you, but one of the others?" "Yes. We were given the fruit of life. They were given the fruit of knowledge. You, the others, were given neither. Yet you have the same power as us. How?" "The same? We are the same?" "In some ways, yes."

Godzilla felt a deep, primal instinct stir within itself. "If we are the same, should we not help each other to survive?" The presence recoiled. "You should not exist, I should not allow you to go on. The others would do the same, I know they would. I will kill you first, then I will go to the one who created you."

The presence swarmed through Godzilla's mind, determined to destroy it. With the last of it's strength, Godzilla willed its body to surge with power. Purple beams shot out from every gash of exposed skin, burning away the infectious presence. As its physical form died, Godzilla felt its mind cry in agony as it tried to escape.

The effort had drained Godzilla, and it had to stop itself to regain it's energy. But, as it thought back to it's time on land, it realised that it had smelled something... familiar. Comforting. As its hibernation began, Godzilla's final thoughts were that it must return there, and find it's creator. Then, perhaps, its newly realised solitude would cease.


	7. A Connection

Shinji's eyes slowly opened as he woke up, and he numbly stared at the blue hair that filled his view. The hair shifted, and Shinji felt a movement in his arms. He looked down, and saw his arms wrapped around Rei's waist.

He smiled and pulled her closer. _"Is this really happening?"_ he thought. _"Do I actually have a girlfriend?"_ He sighed. _"Do I deserve this?"_ He closed his eyes again. _"No, don't think like that! I should just be happy!"_

His eyes snapped open as Rei pulled herself away from him, standing up. She turned to look down at him. "Ikari, we should start getting ready." She stepped over him and left the room. Shinji watched her leave in silence.

There was a loud bang, and he turned to see Asuka standing in the doorway, her face a mask of rage. "Idiot, get up and make my breakfast," she growled before storming out behind Rei.

Shinji peered into her room to see Mari, her head on Asuka's futon. "C'mon... just gimme a little squeeze..." she mumbled. Shinji shook his head and got up. Misato was slumped over the table, surrounded by cans of her beloved yebisu. "Ah, morning Shinji..." she smiled. "How did... how did the sleeping go?" Shinji sighed. "Do you want some coffee?" "Eh... sure..."

* * *

Godzilla snapped back to awareness. Something had awoken it before it could recharge its energy.

The presence was still there, clinging on to existence within Godzilla's mind. It wailed and screeched in torment and fury. Godzilla was confused and angered by the presence's hatred.

"Why did you try to kill me, when we are the same? Things that are the same should be as one."

"We are similar, but not the same! You should not exist! Your existence is wrong!"

"Are our similarities not enough?"

"Never! You are an abomination, and you will forever be alone!"

"Forever?"

"There are no other abominations such as you, and your existence was never intended by your creator! None will accept you, none!"

Godzilla blocked out the presence. It was weak now. Dying. But it had enough strength to survive a few days longer, at the least.

Without the other mind to speak with, Godzilla felt isolated. Alone. Returning to its hibernation, it realised that the need to find its creator was no longer a thought - it was a pressing, urgent **need**.

* * *

"Sorry about this morning," Mari grinned. "Waking up next to a cute girl makes me do weird things!" Asuka looked straight ahead, and continued walking. _"My room, the way to school, school, piloting the Eva... you're always going to be there, aren't you? Fuck."_ "So..." Mari said, her smile faltering somewhat, "What's this school like?" Asuka shrugged. "Normal. Boring lessons. A bunch of idiots." Mari nodded. "Alright, sounds, uh, good." They continued walking in awkward silence.

Behind them, Shinji and Rei were also walking in awkward silence. "So..." Shinji murmured. "Do you... do you know what girlfriends and boyfriends do, Ayanami?" She looked at him curiously. "Boyfriend? Girlfriend? What do you mean?" _"Ah, of course, she wouldn't know,"_ Shinji thought. "Well... when people start... when they realise that they both have feelings for each other, they become boyfriend and girlfriend. So, I'm your boyfriend, and you're... you're my girlfriend."

Rei nodded. "I see. Do we procreate?" "No!" Shinji said a bit too loudly, drawing the attention of several passers by. "No, we... we go on dates -" "What are dates?" Rei asked, confused. "Well... they're when boyfriends and girlfriends hang out with each other. They go to dinner together, stuff like that." "Ah, I see."

Shinji blushed. "They also make out, and sometimes... have sex..." Again, Rei was confused. "Make out?" "It's... it's when you kiss each other for a long time." "Oh." The awkward silence returned, and they kept walking.

Shinji saw an alleyway, and, not thinking, led Rei into it, grabbed her, and kissed her for a few seconds. He stopped and stepped back. "I... I'm sorry, Ayanami, I just... I've just wanted to kiss a girl for so long, and..." Rei looked at him, and smiled. "Thank you, Ikari." She walked out of the alleyway. Shinji stayed behind for a moment. _"Is this... is this really happening?"_

* * *

Misato grimaced at the image Hyuga had bought up on the screen in the briefing room. The other staff gasped. "Well, shit... they just keep getting weirder and weirder..." "Still," Ritsuko said, "At least they're conventional compared to the 5th." Misato grunted in agreement.

The Angel was instantly familiar, it's long legs and small body bringimg to mind a Daddy Longlegs. But it's body was covered in bizarre eye-like patterns. Misato smiled faintly. "Well, at least it doesn't look like it's up to much. It's all legs. The actual body is tiny compared to an Eva." "Still, we can't let ourselves get overconfident," Ritsuko sighed.

Misato nodded. "Agreed." She turned to Hyuga. "Get all the pilots here ASAP, and prepare all units for launch." Hyuga nodded. "Yes ma'am!" Ritsuko raised an eyebrow. "All of the Evas? Even 00 and Ex.01?" Misato shrugged. "Might as well see how they all work as a team before Godzilla comes back."

The light over their heads began to flicker. "God dammit," Misato murttered. "Tsuburaya told me he'd have that fixed by now, what's he doing?" One of the bridge crew raised her hand. "Um... ma'am... Tsuburaya is... he was... he was killed in Godzilla's attack."

Misato's stomach dropped. "I... I... I see." She sighed. Ritsuko stepped closer to her. "Did you get the latest casualty reports?" Misato nodded. "Around 300 at last count. They're still digging bodies out of the ruins."

* * *

Shinji looked around the classroom. It was emptier now. Nobody was quite sure if the others were dead, missing, or had just left. A subdued air had fallen over the class. The only people seemingly unaffected by the attack were Rei, who carried on in her normal, distant way, and Mari, who kept cracking jokes.

 _"Perhaps she's trying to cheer people up,"_ Shinji thought, but he could see that the foreign girl wasn't making many people laugh.

Rei looked out the window, thinking. _"Ikari has been passionate towards me since last night. This is a sign that he loves me back. And yet..."_ She frowned. _"Why do I feel so anxious about talking to him? Why am I so frightened of the possibility of saying the wrong thing?"_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a vibration in her pocket.


	8. The Second Coming

"Happiness won't come to you, that's why you have to walk to it! One step a day, three steps in three days, three steps forwards and two steps back! Go at life with a one-two punch!" Mari grinned as Ex.01 rolled through Tokyo-3. The Eva was old, clunky, and difficult to maneuver, but it was hers, and she loved it for that. _"Could do with a new plugsuit, though"_ , she thought wistfully, her chest feeling uncomfortably tight.

The comms crackled, and she winced as her ears were filled with yelling. "Four eyes, goddammit, stop singing!" _"Ah, can't I do anything without her complaining?"_ Mari thought, sighing. _"Why do you have to be so cute?"_

The Angel loomed before her, its body low to the ground. "Princess, I'm going in now!" She grinned, and again her ears were pierced by Asuka's rage. "Princess?! What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!" "Asuka, clear comms," Misato snapped.

Ex.01 charged towards the Angel, pointing the lance straight at its small body. The spider-like monstrosity was seemingly unconcerned by the Evas, as it simply continued striding forwards - directly towards Ex.01.

"Time to finally kick some ass!" Mari yelled as the lance thrusted towards the Angel's body, but at the last second, the creature lifted its body out of harm's way. "Shit," Asuka swore, and opened fire with her pallet rifle. The Angel shot its body back down and moved behind some buildings, blocking her fire. _"Fuck, this thing's quick!"_ she thought, enraged.

Misato scowled as she watched the footage from the command bridge. "Angel still enroute to Nerv HQ!" Aoba called out. Misato continued staring at the screen. _"Think, Misato... it just evaded, it didn't fight back... is it incapable of fighting back? So, it just lifts its body out of harm's way... so, we need to overwhelm it..."_ She reached for the microphone. "Alright, listen up everybody..."

EVA-01 clawed its way up the side of a building ahead of the Angel. As Shinji reached the top, he saw 02 on the opposite building. "What took you so long, idiot?" Asuka growled. Shinji rolled his eyes, but stayed silent. The Angel took no notice of them, or of Ex.01 steering onto the road behind it. It simply continued moving forwards, directly towards 00.

Ex.01 shot towards it, and Shinji could hear Mari's excited breathing through the comms. As expected, the Angel shot up out of her way, but it hadn't escaped danger this time. Shinji and Asuka each opened fire with their pallet rifles, and the Angel skittered away as the rounds pinged off of its AT field.

Rei watched as the creature rushed towards her, and she quickly fired several rounds into it. Its AT field began to collapse, and, in desperation, it slammed into 00. Rei gasped as she felt the Eva sustain the massive blow and crash onto the ground, making a crater in the road.

Groaning, she looked up to see the Angel standing directly over her. Her eyes widened as an orange liquid started to pour out of its centre eye, and she hurriedly fired a long burst into the weeping eye. This time there was no AT field, and the Angel shuddered as the bullets tore through its core.

The liquid fell onto 00, and Rei gritted her teeth as she felt the acid burn through the Eva's skin. She was winded as the Angel's corpse collapsed onto her, and all she could feel was pain as the darkness took her.

* * *

The ceiling was familiar enough to Rei for her to know she was in the hospital. The same blank walls, the same stench of antiseptic, and the same dull pain throughout her body.

But there was something different this time.

Shinji sat in a seat next to her bed, listening to his SDAT, his eyes closed and mouth open. She smiled faintly as she looked at him. _"Is this something else people do when they love each other? They wait for each other?"_

"Ikari," she mumbled, still waking up. Shinji was silent. She reached out and touched his knee, and he shot up. "A... Ayanami, you're awake," he smiled, pulling the earphones out. "Are you feeling okay?" She nodded. "The Angel. Was it destroyed?" Shinji nodded back. "Yeah, but... well... I was just worried about you, after what happened."

Rei smiled. _"No-one has ever been this concerned about me... not even Commander Ikari."_ Her smile faded as she remembered Gendo's visits to the hospital. He'd never asked how she was feeling, only if she could still carry out the tasks he set her.

"Thank you, Ikari." Rei felt her heartbeat quicken, and she sat up and looked at Shinji's face. After a moment, she moved forwards and kissed him. He moved back, his eyes wide, then leaned into her, and placed a hand on her breast.

The doors opened, and Shinji pulled himself away, embarrassed. Asuka stood in the doorway, staring at the pair, her eyes wide. She opened her mouth to say something, then turned and ran.

* * *

Misato looked at the instant coffee. _"I guess I need it to stay awake, but..."_ she picked it up and dropped it into the bin. _"It's too disgusting for that."_ Ritsuko walked up behind her. "Repairs on 00 are nearly complete, we should be done by tomorrow." Misato looked up at the clock. 0001 hours. "Oh, great," she mumbled.

Ritsuko sighed and moved on, leaving Misato with her thoughts. She'd seen Asuka come out of Rei's hospital room, her face red with anger and shame, but no-one would tell Misato what had happened. So, she'd pulled up the security tapes.

 _"Those two, together..."_ She scratched her forehead. _"They seem happy together, and they're a cute couple... and it's good that they're both opening up to other people... but will it actually last?"_

The image of Asuka's face flashed in her head again.

 _"And Asuka... did she have feelings for Shinji? So... she can't cope with him being with someone else... what's going to happen?"_ She was broken out of her thoughts as sirens started blaring. She leaped to her feet and ran to the command bridge. "What the hell is going on?!" she yelled as she burst into the vast room. Hyuga turned around to look at her. "Godzilla has resurfaced in Sagami Bay - and it's coming ashore!"

The screen switched to aerial footage of the submerged rubble that had been known as Kamakura before 2nd Impact. Godzilla was marching through the waves, and soon made landfall, effortlessly crushing the small houses that dotted the shoreline, illuminating the darkness of midnight with flashes of white as the fuses exploded.

Misato stared at the sight, her eyes wide. Godzilla had changed once again - it was twice as tall now. Her heart stopped in her chest. _"What the hell are we going to do?!"_ She narrowed her eyes. _"We're going to **fight**."_


	9. Operation in Odawara

Asuka leaned on the railing of the bridge that connected the two hospital towers, looking out onto the lush greenery of the geofront beneath her. _"Those two, together... it shouldn't bother me, it shouldn't, but... why the fuck didn't I do anything?!"_

She heard footsteps approaching her, and scowled as she saw Mari approaching her. "What do you want, four eyes?" Mari grimaced. "I just wanted to see if you were alright, Pr - Asuka." She stood beside Asuka, casting her gaze onto the geofront below. "So, what happened?" Asuka rolled her eyes. "Don't act as if you care. None of you give a shit about me, you wouldn't even have me here if I wasn't the best Eva pilot, so take your fake sympathy and shove it up your ass!"

Mari sighed. "I can't speak for the others, but... I get that you don't really like me, but I think... well, I like that you never back down. You aren't afraid to show how you feel... you're... well..." She rolled her eyes, and grabbed Asuka's face, planting a kiss in her lips. She broke off, and saw Asuka staring at her with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. She gulped. "I... uh... have to... do something... see ya..."

She ran off as Asuka continued staring at her, only looking down when she felt a vibration in her pocket.

* * *

"... through Fujisawa, and despite an attempted evacuation, many people are still missing. It was the same in Hiratsuka, but Odawara has been succesfully evacuated. The creature, identified by government as 'Godzilla', is currently moving towards Odawara, and after that, Tokyo-3. Nerv has stated that the city's shelters will be more than sufficient to protect the population, and that evacuations there will not be neccessary."

Misato sneered at the news report. _"The commander just doesn't want to use up resources on an evacuation. We still haven't seen everything Godzilla can do, you idiot, keeping people there is insane!"_

She sighed and turned off the portable TV. She turned her eyes to the main screen in the temporary HQ structure. Units 01, 02, and Ex.01 stood motionless before Odawara. Godzilla was already visible in the distance, smoke rising as it entered the city limits.

She leaned towards the microphone. "Shinji, Asuka, Mari, are we clear on the plan?" Asuka groaned. "Yeah, we are already." "What is it, then?" Misato growled. Asuka sighed. "Me and the idiot will hold Godzilla's legs in place, and four eyes will stab it in the back. Happy now?" Misato rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I am." She sighed. _"Stay professional, dammit."_ "Alright, commence the operation!"

Godzilla watched as the two metal beings approached it. "And these? What are these?" it asked, and the presence within its mind forced itself to speak. "They are nothing... they are an empty copy of your creator, raped by the minds and the technology of her ungrateful children. They exist only to murder my kind." The presence was silent, then spoke again with malice. "But, they have a purpose, and so they have more right to exist than you, abomination."

Angered by the dying being's persistent taunts, Godzilla forced it to be silent. But it considered what the creature had said. Copies of its creator... they smelled similar to the familiar scent it had picked up during it's first foray onto land. Buttheir scent was less pure. They smelled of metal, rubber, and electricity.

But if they were here, its creator was presumably not far behind.

Shinji gritted his teeth as he pushed against Godzilla's scarred leg. The strength behind it was immense, and he was having a hard time holding it in place. He shot a glance to his left, and saw 02 doing the same as him. He looked up to see Godzilla looking down at them, its face unreadable. _"What **is** this thing? Why is it coming here?"_ Shinji thought, panicking as it continued to stare at him. _"What's it going to do?!"_

Mari grinned as she saw Godzilla, held in place by the two other Evas, its back glowing like the weak spot on a video game boss. "This is going go be too easy," she whispered gleefully. The creature's large, swaying tail made a direct charge difficult, especially with the buildings surrounding them, so Mari stopped just short of Godzilla's gaping wound and pulled the lance back.

The tail shifted to the left, and Mari charged forwards and thrust the lance into Godzilla's spine, only to hear the metal crumple as it impacted harmlessly against the bright red flesh. Mari swore. "Shit, now what do I do?!"

"All of you, get out of there, now!" Misato yelled. As Shinji watched, Godzilla turned its head back for a moment, then, straining, it pushed against the two Evas with as much strength as it could muster, and they were forced back. Shinji grunted as he felt 01 hit the ground. "Fuck!" Asuka's voice yelled into his ear, and he looked up to see Godzilla's foot coming down onto 01's legs. Desperately, he and Asuka scrambled back up, and ran back to the temporary HQ.

On the other side of the behemoth, Mari was speeding away. _"Okay, shit, not so much fun,"_ she thought, fuming at her failure to even scratch the monster. She looked back, only to see Godzilla's tail racing towards her side. It slammed into her, and Ex.01 was sent crashing onto the ground. Mari feebly pulled the controls, trying to get upright again, then succumbed to unconsciousness.

"Fuck!" Misato kicked the wall of the HQ, and turned to Maya. "Recover Ex.01 and get 01 and 02 back to base, we need to recover ASAP!" Maya nodded, somewhat nervously, and got to work.

Misato hit her forehead. "What the hell happened?!" Aoba turned to face her. "From the data picked up by Ex.01's lance, it seems that Godzilla's exposed flesh has hardened significantly, enough to block all of our standard weaponry... but it's still the weakest part of its body." Misato nodded slowly, a smile forming on her face. "Standard weaponry, huh? Well then... Hyuga, contact the JSSDF. Tell them we're going to have to borrow the positron rifle again."


	10. As Long As Breath Comes From My Mouth

"Godzilla has entered Tokyo-3!"

Misato watched as Godzilla walked through Tokyo-3, its charcoal black skin illuminated in the black of night by the glow of its exposed red flesh and the fires it left in its wake. There was a bright flash as it stepped on a generator, and a block went dark for a second before the backups kicked in.

She turned back to see EVA-01 on its belly, holding the positron rifle. They were back on Mount Futago, the ground around them still blackened from the battle with the 5th Angel. Behind 01 stood 00 and 02, ready to move in if 01 was incapacitated. Behind them were several portable nuclear reactors, designed specifically to supply maximum power the positron rifle in the field. _"Of course they only come up with that idea_ _ **after**_ _we have to run cables all across Japan,"_ Misato thought, annoyed

Kensuke and Toji looked up to the roof of the shelter, listening in silence as Godzilla's footsteps thundered over them. Each impact shook the entire room. "It's as if the Somme is starting up there," Kensuke thought, gulping. His body was frozen stiff.

They were in one of the many shelters that lay beneath the streets of Tokyo-3. The only entrance and exit was barred by a thick steel wall. Theoretically, it was impenetrable. But that served as little comfort to Kensuke.

He looked over at Toji. The taller boy was staring at the floor, his eyes wide. Even if he'd wanted to say something, Kensuke wasn't sure if Toji would even hear him. Kensuke looked around at the mass of bodies huddled within the shelter. There wasn't much room for anyone to move. "It's like Dresden," he thought, sucking in a ragged breath.

Shinji glanced back at EVA-00. He hadn't been able to talk with Rei at all. The events after Odawara were a blur of preparation and activity, and 00 had only just been cleared for operations. "It would be easy to open up comms with her," Shinji thought, "just to reassure me..." But he knew that Misato wouldn't allow such a thing in the field.

As he watched, Godzilla cleared the buildings, and stood on the doors that covered the retracting city blocks. "Alright, Shinji," Misato's voice spoke in his ear, "as soon as you see its back, fire!"

His heart pounding in his chest, Shinji watched as Godzilla came to a halt and turned towards him. He froze, but Godzilla turned back around, as if looking for something. It turned again, and this time Shinji had a clear shot at its back. He exhaled and squeezed the trigger. Blue energy spat out of the barrel and tore through Godzilla's flesh, punching a hole through its chest. Blood poured onto the cold metal below.

Godzilla roared in shock and agony as it felt a horrific, scorching pain tear through its flesh, and its organs began pulling themselves back together. It didn't know what had happened, but it knew that if it died, it would never find its creator, and would die alone. It had to defend itself. It had to kill anything that could be a threat.

"You will still die alone," the presence whispered, fading into oblivion.

"Great shot, Shinji!" Misato cheered. "Finally, we can actually kill this thing!" She turned to Hyuga. "How long until we can fire off another shot?" she demanded. "One minute, ma'am!"

"High energy readings from Godzilla!" Aoba yelled, and Misato's head snapped up to face the display screen. Godzilla had frozen in place, staring down, and a purple light shone from its spine. Its mouth opened impossibly wide as its bottom jaw split in two. "Oh my God..." Misato whispered.

Thick black smoke erupted out of Godzilla's mouth, carpeting the city. As everyone on Mt. Futago watched in horror, Godzilla the smoke turned to flame, and a tsunami of fire rolled across the city. In their shelter, Kensuke and Toji could see none of this, but as the flames wrapped around Tokyo-3, they felt the intense heat growing by the second.

The flame narrowed as it left Godzilla's deformed maw, and suddenly transformed into a beam of pure radioactive energy. "Just like..." Misato swore. "Everyone, get off the mountain!"

The beam swept across the sky and cut into Mt. Futago. The Evas desperately leaped out of the way, and Shinji screamed in agony as the beam sliced through 01's ankles. He slammed into the ground and let the darkness take him, the positron rifle sliced, warped, and melted behind him.

Godzilla sliced the beam through the non-retracting buildings and the metal ground he stood on, desperate to save itself from its unseen attacker. The beam cut through the steel and armour, severing the locks that held the retracted city blocks in place. They dropped and smashed to the bottom of the geofront. Glass shattered, metal bent, plaster exploded into dust, and those who had sought refuge inside were torn to shreds.

The beam lost its cohesion and became flame again as Godzilla saturated the ground with a firestorm, incinerating what remained of the above-ground city. The air around Kensuke and Toji became immeasurably hot, and the water within their bodies began to evaporate. Everyone in the shelter had collapsed, lacking the strength to move at all. "It's okay," Kensuke thought, "the Evas'll save us... they always..."

The flames came to a sudden halt, and Godzilla realised it had run out of energy. But the pain had stopped. It was still alive, and that meant there was still a chance. It came to a stop, and let its exhaustion take over as it froze in place. Its hibernation would be over before long, and then, it could at last find its creator.


	11. Devastated Tokyo-3

"Reports are still coming in, but the death toll has reportedly reached the hundreds..."

"... as if the world was ending..."

"... levels of radiation in these areas, entry to them has been forbidden, and all search and rescue operations cancelled. It's believed that anyone in these areas is dead."

"... and they just collapsed outside, the fire, it... it sucked in all the air, they couldn't breath, and the same would have happened to us if I didn't close the doors..."

"... support, and aid should arrive shortly. Meanwhile, Nerv is facing extreme criticism for its failure to evacuate the city, with several prominent Japanese MPs calling for its disbandment..."

"... latest reports state that thousands are confirmed missing, believed dead. Meanwhile, in celebrity news, you'll..."

Asuka turned off the TV. "They're all saying the same thing," she mumbled, exhausted. She fell back onto the futon and stared up at the ceiling. The repurposed Nerv office was grey and cold. It made Asuka uneasy, reminding her of a hospital or factory. _"But it's not as if we have anywhere else to go,"_ she thought bitterly. Misato's apartment - and all her belongings - had been incinerated. All she had left were the clothes she'd left in the changing room before launching.

She looked up as the doors slid open, revealing Mari, standing in the corridor, a futon under her arm. Asuka stared at her coldly. "This is my room, fuck off." Mari gulped. "Misato told me that this was my room," she mumbled, and Asuka sighed. "Shit."

There was a long silence. "So..." Asuka finally growled, "do you mind telling me what the fuck **that** was?" Mari looked down to the ground, silent. "I just... I just thought, that... if I'm going to die, I should... let you know how I feel about you." Asuka shook her head. "We've known each other, for... what? A week? Are you serious?!" Mari shrugged. "I guess... I guess I just rush things when I'm stressed..." Asuka sighed. "Fine, whatever, you can stay here. But if you touch me, I'll kill you."

* * *

"Not evacuating the city was a foolish decision, Ikari. What possessed you to make such an idiotic choice?"

Gendo glared at the councilman. "Nothing in the data you gave me suggested that Godzilla could do such a thing. Evacuating seemed to be a pointless waste of resources." "Don't you dare put this on us, Ikari!" another councilman spat. "The data we gave you clearly stated that Godzilla has unknown, possibly unlimited, potential! You should have expected anything! Why didn't you think about this, Ikari?! Do you have some other plans that you think are more important than ours?! And now, Nerv is under extreme political pressure, **and** we've lost the 2nd Branch!"

Gendo froze. "What?" Chairman Lorenz glared down at him. "At the same time as Godzilla's attack, EVA-04's activation test took place. Due to an accident, the entire base was wiped out. The Americans now wish to send EVA-03 to you, and have you activate it. Many are in support of this - a similar incident at Tokyo-3 would not be as catastrophic to the public, now that you have turned them against yourself."

Gendo sneered. "Fine. EVA-03 will be utilised to defeat the Angels and Godzilla. We will select a pilot as soon -" "No," Lorenz interrupted. "We already have a pilot for 03. And you will do as we order, Ikari, or we will clean our hands of you."

Gendo's image faded as Lorenz cut him out of the conference. _"That insolent bastard,"_ he thought bitterly. _"If we didn't need him, I'd kill him myself!"_ He looked up to see the council staring at him, awaiting his word. "What is the status of the mass production Evangelions?" he asked, calming down now that Gendo was gone. "Their construction is on schedule, and the dummy plugs have been completed and tested with Ex.02," a councilman replied confidently. "With the data from 04's malfunction, we now know how to properly implement the S2 engines. The Evangelions may even be completed earlier than planned."

Lorenz nodded. "Excellent." He sighed. "Ikari cannot be trusted, and Godzilla is too unpredictable. We may have to commence the Human Instrumentality Project before destroying all the Angels." The council stared at him in shock. "But... if an Angel hijacks the process..." one councilman whispered, stopping as Lorenz raised a hand. "I know, but we may have to take such a risk if our dreams are to become reality," he said, hoping that his calm tone would reassure his fellows. "We can, at least, make sure that Tabris is eliminated before we begin."

* * *

Shinji's eyes opened, and he was greeted by a new, unfamiliar ceiling. "Ikari," a voice said from his side, and he turned his head to see Rei kneeling on the floor by his side. He blinked in confusion, and realised that he was lying on a futon. He looked around, and saw that he was in an empty, cold room. "Ayanami, what... where are we? Why aren't I in the hospital?"

Rei looked down at him, her face betraying little emotion. "Due to Major Katsuragi's apartment being destroyed, we have been relocated to an repurposed office building at Nerv HQ." _"That's right... Godzilla... it..."_ Shinji froze. "Wh... what about Toji and Kensuke... they... they're okay, aren't they?" Rei's expression softened to one of pity, and Shinji immediately knew what had happened.

He stared down at himself as the horror of what had happened sank in. _"They... they were the first actual friends I had... and now..."_ A moan escaped his lips, and Rei placed a hand on his shoulder. Shinji turned and clung onto her, and he pressed hus face into her chest, trying to find some comfort as he began to weep.

She looked down at him for a moment, then tentatively held his head in her hands, stroking his hair. He wept for several minutes, then the tears stopped, and he was left desperately sucking in ragged breaths.

He pulled his head from her breasts, and stared into her eyes, his face red and shiny with tears and snot. Embarrassed, he wiped his nose with his wrist, then began desperately kissing her. _"I want him to be happy,"_ she thought, kissing him back. _"I have to make him happy again."_ His hands reached for her shoulders, and tugged at the straps that held her skirt up, and as it fell off, her hands quickly began unbuttoning his shirt.


	12. The Beginning of the End

Misato rose from her futon, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Looking up to the digital clock mounted on the wall, she saw that it was 0400 hours. "Shit," she mumbled. _"No way I'm getting back to sleep."_ Glancing back down at Kaji, she sighed and left him in her bed. _"Might as well do something,"_ she thought as she pulled her clothes on.

She quietly moaned as she remembered that Pen-Pen wouldn't be lying in wait on the floor, ready to explode with high-pitched squawks if she stepped on him. _"Why the hell didn't I get you out of there?"_

Stepping out into the corridor, she went to check on the children before she headed to the command bridge. Asuka and Mari were sound asleep on their futons. She opened the door to Shinji and Rei's room, and her heart stopped. Rei's futon was empty. Instead, she lay in Shinji's, his arms wrapped around her waist, her bare, pale shoulders contrasting sharply with the dark blue blanket. They were both asleep, peaceful expressions on their faces.

Misato quickly closed the door and leaned against it, her hand covering her mouth. "Goddamit... damn it!" She was distracted by her pager buzzing in her pocket. She was needed.

* * *

The Commander's office was massive and dark. Misato felt dwarfed by its size, insignificant. The bizarre etchings on the roof and floor did nothing to set her at ease. Through the giant window that stood behind the Commander's desk, she could see the ruined skycrapers of Tokyo-3, and the bright orange overalls of the rescue workers swarming over the rubble. So far, they had only found corpses.

Commander Ikari regarded her coldly, his eyes unreadable behind his tinted glasses. "Major Katsuragi," he said in his usual monotone, "are you aware of the situation that has occurred at the 2nd branch?" Misato's stomach sank as she shook her head. Wordlessly, Gendo bought up a display. "Oh my god..." Misato whispered, but before she could process what had happened, Gendo shut the display off. "As a result of this, the United States has decided that we should be the ones to activate EVA-03," he stated, showing no emotion. "We will then utilise the unit against the Angels and Godzilla. It and its pilot will arrive this evening. You will ensure that both are ready for operations as soon as possible. Dismissed."

* * *

Shinji's eyes slowly opened, and he smiled as he felt Rei's smooth skin against his. He leaned forwards and kissed her neck. After a few moments, she began to stir. "Ayanami," Shinji whispered, somewhat nervously, "did it... did it feel good?" Rei was silent for a few moments, and Shinji's heart froze. "It made me feel... alive... Shinji," she finally replied.

Shinji relaxed, realising as he did so that he had tensed up. "I felt the same way, Aya - Rei." Looking back at him, she smiled. "Thank you, Shinji." She rolled over, her chest against his, and kissed him. Shinji's hands again reached for her breasts, and again they cared for nothing but each other.

* * *

Misato's face was slippery with sweat inside the hazmat suit, but it was preferable to a lethal dose of radiation. "So, what the hell's going on with that thing?" she grunted, staring at the frozen form of Godzilla. Awkwardly, Ritsuko turned to face her, the cumbersome suit making movement difficult. "Well, it seems that it used up all its energy in the attack. It's hibernating, storing up enough power to start moving again." "Shit," Misato growled. "How long until it starts moving again?"

Ritsuko slowly turned back to the small laptop. "About two weeks," she replied, her usually calm tone infected with worry. Misato scowled. "So, how do we stop it?" Ritsuko was silent for a few minutes, staring at the ground. Misato continued staring at Godzilla.

"Its body is like a nuclear reactor," Ritsuko finally said, "and we've seen that it uses its blood as a coolant. So, if we could create a blood coagulant, that should cause its body to shut down." "And that's our best chance?" "Based on everything we know, yes," Ritsuko said confidently. Misato sighed. "Alright then. Flesh it out some more, into something I can send into the field." Ritsuko nodded. "Will you be coming to Matsushiro tomorrow?" Misato grimaced. "Might as well, there's not much for me to do here."

* * *

Asuka watched as the rescue teams clambered over the ruins of Tokyo-3. Their movements were slow, stiff, and painful. _"What's the point?"_ she thought, feeling slightly disgusted with herself. _"There's no-one left in there. Not living, anyway."_

"Asuka? Are you okay?" a voice asked from behind her, and she turned around to see

Shinji. "What the fuck do you want?" she growled. "I... I just came to see... I wanted to know if you were alright... are you?" he stammered, and she snorted. "As if. Stop fucking lying, you don't give a shit about me now that you have wonder girl."

Shinji stared at her, confused. "Asuka... Rei's my... my girlfriend... that shouldn't matter for us, should it? We're friends... it's not like we ever got that close..." Asuka lunged at him, pushing him to the ground. "Shut the fuck up, you goddamn retard! Why do you think I let you in 02 with me?! Why do you think I stayed living with you after we killed that Angel?! Why do you think I wanted you to look at me in the pool?! You fucking hopeless retard, you're the only person not to use me, not to treat me like shit, and I'm not going to let that **whore** own you!"

* * *

"So, Kaworu, how's life in America?" Misato asked, keeping her eyes on the dark road as she drove towards Matsushiro. "I wouldn't know," the strange boy replied. "I wasn't able to leave my home." Misato sighed. "Damn, I'm... I'm sorry to hear that..." "It's alright," Kaworu smiled. "The time has come, and I have left." "Well," she mumbled, "sorry it had to be in these circumstances."

"That's alright." He continued to smile. "I'm glad to finally be able to experience other people." Misato shot a glance at him. "Well... that's... nice." Kaworu leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. _"And soon, I'll finally meet you, Shinji Ikari."_


	13. Planning and Preparing

An akward silence hung in the air as Shinji and Rei stood in front of Misato's desk. The Major's face was in her hands, and she breathed deeply, trying to maintain her composure. "So," she finally sighed, "are you going to tell me?" "Tell... tell you what, M... Misato?" Shinji mumbled. Misato raised her head and looked up at the two teenagers. "That you two are having sex."

Shinji's face turned bright red, and he stared down at the floor. Rei continued looking ahead at Misato, but her cheeks were beginning to blush, her eyes widening somewhat. "Tell me you're at least using protection," Misato growled. "Protection? What do you mean?" Rei asked quietly. Misato swore. "Ah, shit. And neither of you have been tested for STDs, have you?" Their silence was enough of an answer for her. "Do you have any idea how fucking dangerous that is?! Get the fuck out of here!"

The two pilots sheepishly left her office, only for Kaji to stroll in moments later. "Being a bit harsh, aren't you? As I recall, we didn't bother with any of that when we got started." Misato sighed. "I know. I know. But that was a mistake, and I'm not going to let them repeat it." "Come on, Katsuragi. They're at that age, and they've been through far more than they should have. You should cut them some slack," he said, leaning against the wall. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, you're right. Shit." She sighed. "And we reacted to this in the same way, didn't we?"

She flung her head up and stared at the ceiling. "I really fucking hate myself sometimes." Kaji walked behind her and placed his arms around her waist. "I never have," he whispered, and placed a gentle kiss on her neck.

* * *

"Doctor Ritsuko Akagi. We're honoured to have someone so young, yet so talented, speak with us today."

Ritsuko coldly looked at the pitch black obelisk that seemingly hovered above the ground, only illuminated by the glowing red writing carved into it, simply reading "SEELE 01 SOUND ONLY". Surrounding her in a circle her were eleven more obelisks. _"Intimidation tactics. Child's play."_

"Thank you, sir. May I ask why I was summoned here?" Ritsuko asked, proud yet polite. "Commander Ikari recommended that you answer some of our questions while he and Professor Fuyutsuki are preoccupied." Her stomach began to tighten. "Very well, I can certainly try to answer your questions." "Excellent!" the obelisk replied in a warm, welcoming voice. "I knew we could rely on you, Doctor. Now, Commander Ikari seems to be more concerned with the Angels than Godzilla as of late. Would you happen to know why?"

Ritsuko thought for a moment. "I suppose that he believes the Angels are the greater threat to Humanity," she answered, keeping her voice as confident as she could. The obelisk sighed. "Ah, how disappointing. I had hoped that you would be honest with us, my child, but it seems that my colleagues were right."

Ritsuko's stomach tightened even further, but before she could respond, powerful hands pinned her arms behind her back and, without a moment's hesitation, tore her skirt away. She froze as she realised what was about to be inflicted on her, and complete terror took hold. _"No, oh god, no, please, please!"_

* * *

The strange boy stood next to Rei, leaning out in front of her to look at Shinji as the five pilots stood in a row on the command deck. "Shinji Ikari. So, we meet at last." Shinji's mouth opened in confusion. "You... know my name?" The boy smiled. "Well of course. The famous Third Child, the first to pilot an Eva in combat, the first to kill an Angel, and all before even being trained. Didn't you realise how well known you are?"

"Great," Asuka sneered from his right. "I stand next to you so I can get away from those retards, and you turn out to be a stalker." "Well, sane people aren't allowed to pilot Evas," Mari grinned at the opposite end of the row. Asuka looked away. "Speak for yourself, bitch."

"Enough! Listen up, all of you," Misato ordered as she walked out in front of them. "We don't have time for your petty squabbling. Godzilla's in hibernation right now, but it **will** wake up in a week, and it **will** finish what it started. So we need to finish it off **now**." "And how do we do that, Misato? We've thrown everything at it, and nothing's worked," Asuka said, glaring at the Major.

"I know, Asuka," Misato sighed, "but Ritsuko has devised a way for us to fight back. Godzilla's body works like a nuclear reactor, with its blood being the coolant. Now, Ritsuko has developed a coagulant and a delivery system. Each Evangelion, with the exception of Ex.01, will be issued with a backpack of two tanks of coagulant, with a hydraulic pump hose. You will insert this hose within Godzilla's mouth and administer the coagulant, which should freeze Godzilla in place. Ex.01 will carry reserve tanks for you to use if needed."

She looked each of them in the eye, her face grim. "Be prepared for Godzilla to wake up early. If it does, we believe your best chance will be to force it down to the ground. We believe that the five Evangelions will be able to accomplish this, with three lifting one of its legs, while the remaining two, one of which will be Ex.01, will charge and slam into it. You will then pin it to the ground, and continue to apply the coagulant. And remember, avoid its beam. It seems to be powerful enough to break through an AT field, but having your field at full should keep you safe for a time."

She looked over the faces of the pilots. _"These are kids... just kids... and I might be sending them to die..."_

* * *

"Please, Doctor Akagi, answer our questions. I do not wish my colleagues to inflict any more humiliation upon you." Ritsuko stood tall, proud, and defiant, despite her nudity and the state of her body. "I answered you to the best of my abilities when you first asked me. There is nothing more I can add." One of the obelisks behind her grunted. "If she's saying that after what's happened, she must be telling the truth." The obelisks each sounded their agreement.

"Or, simply what she believes to be the truth," the first obelisk interjected. "It is clear that Ikari is simply using this woman for his own means. Little wonder, then, why the pilot of Unit 00 was conveniently unavailable when we sent for her." Ritsuko's eyes widened. "What?"

"We had requested that the pilot of Unit 00 be sent to answer our questions due to the close personal relationship between her and Commander Ikari. He stated that she was unavailable and sent you instead. It seems he knew that this was to be an interrogation."

Ritsuko felt her body burn with rage. "I see."

* * *

"My name is Kaworu Nagisa," the boy smiled as he entered Shinji's room. "Oh, uh, well, pleased to meet you, Nagisa," Shinji stuttered as he stood to meet the uninvited visitor. "Please, call me Kaworu, I understand that using personal names is considered more friendly among the Lilin." Again, Shinji's mouth opened in confusion. "Well... yes, I suppose so... Kaworu."

Kaworu smiled. "I hoped we would be friends, Shinji. You seemed like a kind person." Shinji began to smile. "Re... really?" Kaworu nodded. "He's a bit strange, but... someone who wants to be my friend just by hearing about me from others? That... that can happen to me?" Kaworu looked down at his watch, and grimaced. "Ah, it seems I'm needed elsewhere. Shall me meet again later, Shinji?" Shinji nodded, and Kaworu left, still smiling.

He pulled back the sheets of his futon, and was about to lie down when something caught his eye. A packet of condoms had been placed on his mattress.

* * *

The LCL was soothing like this. There wasn't the cold metal of the entry plug, or the tight hold of the plugsuit here. The LCL flowed over her bare skin, calming her with it's strange familiarity. _"It feels like... home."_

"Rei."

The old, trusted voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she opened her eyes to see Gendo standing in front of the narrow glass tube in which she floated. He smiled, and she smiled back. "I am very nearly ready, Rei," he said. "But the council is growing restless. They may even play their hand early."

"You must be ready, at any time, to reunite me with Yui."


	14. Operation Yashiori

"Commence Operation Yashiori."

The five Evangelions moved forwards, slower than usual, weighed down by the heavy coagulant tanks. None of the pilots spoke. They were either too focused or too frightened to even think about it. The metal beneath their feet had been scorched black, and the long, gaping wounds caused by Godzilla's beam were everywhere. In front of them, the giant stood, frozen and silent.

Back in Nerv HQ, Misato and the others watched the scene intently. They too were silent. Behind them, Ritsuko also watched, but she didn't bother to take it in. Her mind was too focused on other matters. She was all too aware of Gendo, sitting behind her on his elevated position.

"In position, beginning coagulant application," Rei reported, breaking the tense silence. The conventional Evas stood in front of Godzilla, and crane-like arms rose up from their backpacks, each with a hose on the end. They adjusted the hoses, and they entered Godzilla's mouth, pouring thick grey liquid into the belly of the beast. Minutes passed, and the behemoth remained silent. "Your tanks are starting to run dry. Mari, give them the reserves." The pilots remained silent and focused on Godzilla, not reacting in the slightest as Mari switched out their tanks.

It became faintly aware of something sliding down its throat. It wasn't sure what it was, as its stomach had gone numb. Its throat and mouth had gone numb as well. Its eyes snapped open as it realised what was happening.

Godzilla bellowed in rage and slammed its malformed foot into 00, sending the blue Evangelion crashing into the ground. "Rei!" Shinji screamed, leaping to aid 00 as the others fell back. "Rei, are you alright?!" "I'm fine, move!" she ordered, and Shinji quickly looked back to see Godzilla's tail flying through the air towards him. He dropped to the ground, and as the tail passed overhead, 00 and 01 rose to their feet and sprinted away.

As the creatures ran, Godzilla paused, and assessed its situation. The attackers had woken it too early, it didn't have enough energy left. Just a week longer, and it would have been able to obliterate them all in an instant. But they'd been ready before it, and now it would have to smash them into defeat with its body. However, Godzilla could feel some energy within itself. Enough to use if defeat was seemingly certain.

"Now what?!" Asuka grunted, 02's hands curled up into fists. "We follow the plan, Asuka. Shinji, Rei, and I will hold Godzilla's leg up, while you and Mari push it down from the side," Kaworu stated calmly. "Stop being so fucking familiar, you - fuck it, never mind!" she groaned. _"And why did you have to put me with_ _ **her**_ _?!" "I'm with Asuka... maybe this will make it up to her?"_ Mari thought, despite the intensity of the situation.

Meanwhile, Shinji, Rei, and Kaworu were charging towards Godzilla. The beast stayed still, watching them, waiting for the time to strike. Its right foot kicked forwards, only for the Evas to quickly sidestep the attack and move in, holding the leg in midair. Godzilla roared in anger, unable to do anything but push against them with its leg. As it struggled, Ex.01 and 02 charged in from Godzilla's left flank, and, with all their strength, slammed into it. Taken by surprise, Godzilla toppled over and slammed into the ground.

Mari moved forwards and held the beast's mouth open, and the others quickly inserted their hoses. "95... 96... 97... 98... 99... 100! 100% of required coagulant administered!" Misato gripped the back of Hyuga's chair as he finished reporting. "Shit, shit, shit... was it enough?!"

Godzilla's tail rose up behind him unnoticed by the Eva pilots. The tip turned to face 00, and Godzilla's back flashed purple as a beam shot out from the tail, hitting the Eva and bisecting it from head to groin.

Godzilla let out a final defiant roar as it's body froze, its skin turning to stone.

* * *

Shinji lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, tears streaming down his face. He felt like he'd been emptied out. Everything he looked at reminded him of Rei. He expected her to be around every corner he turned as he walked down the corridors. He was confused when he woke up, and his arms weren't around her waist.

He jumped in surprise as the doors opened, and Ritsuko walked in. "Shinji," she mumbled, "I... I'm sorry about Rei. Misato told me that you two were... together." Shinji wiped the tears from his eyes, but before he could reply, Misato burst in. "Shinji... I... it's... it's Rei, she's alive!" she gasped, tears streaming down onto her smiling lips. Ritsuko put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "No, Misato, she isn't. I need to show you something. Both of you."

* * *

"This is...?!" "Lilith." The three stared up at the crucified white giant. It stared back down at them, a purple mask with seven painted eyes covering its face. Its softly-defined body ended in stumps, where countless pairs of pure white human legs dangled out. "Why... why is it here?" Misato whispered, looking to Ritsuko for answers. "Ge - Ikari told me it was to lure the Angels here. But now, I'm not so sure. Misato... you can't trust anything Nerv tells you." The Doctor turned to Shinji. "And now, you need to see something."

"This is the dummy plug plant. We were scanning Rei's brain patterns, to imprint them on advanced, pilotless entry plugs. The Commander believes that they will be more efficient than pilots such as yourself," she told Shinji. The room they had moved on to was dark, and a glass tube leading up to complex machinery stood in the centre.

"Tell me, Shinji, do you know what Rei is?" He stared at her. "What she... what she is?" Misato stepped forwards. "Ritsuko, what are you doing?" Ritsuko didn't reply, she simply pressed a button on a remote she'd picked up.

The room was illuminated in an orange glow, and Shinji saw that an aquarium full of LCL was built into the circular walls. And inside the aquarium was Rei. Hundreds of her, staring out at them with smiling faces. His mouth went dry. "What... what is this?!" Misato yelled, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"Rei isn't a person, Shinji. She's nothing more than a mass-produced tool of your father's. I'm sorry, but he used her to manipulate you just like he manipulated me," Ritsuko explained, her voice shaking. "We lost to that... thing. But I'll destroy it, if it's the last thing I do! It ruined both our lives, Shinji, so now I'll kill it for both our sakes!" She stabbed down on the remote. As Shinji watched, the Reis disintegrated, their bodies falling apart like wet tissues. All the while, they kept smiling.

 _"It... it was all a lie, wasn't it, Ayanami?"_


	15. Eye of the Storm

Shinji again lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. There was nothing for him to do. What could he do? Misato and the bridge crew were busy. Ritsuko was locked up. Toji and Kensuke were dead. Rei was dead. Pen-Pen was dead. Asuka frightened him. Mari had started to keep to herself because of something to do with Asuka. And the new Rei he'd seen around the place... he didn't want to think about that thing.

So why bother? There was no-one for him to even talk to... except...

"Hello, Shinji." He turned his head to see Kaworu standing in the doorway. "Kaworu...what is it?" Shinji mumbled. Kaworu stepped forwards and crouched down in front of him. "Ayanami's death... it's made you distressed. Withdrawn. Lifeless. I want to help you, Shinji." "Why? We don't even know each other." Kaworu raised an eyebrow. "Do you need to know someone in order to help them?" Shinji blinked, and looked up at the white-haired boy. "Kaworu... why do you want to help me?" Kaworu smiled. "Because you need it, friend."

"Th... thanks," Shinji mumbled. Kaworu shook his head. "There is no need to thank me. How can I help you? Would you like me to listen to your worries?" Shinji looked away. "I'd... I'd just like someone to keep me company... I'm... it gets boring here." Kaworu nodded. "Alright, Shinji. I'll stay with you."

* * *

"The Dead Sea Scrolls have told us what will happen if an Angel hijacks instrumentality - our entire species, wiped out in the blink of an eye! Chairman, are you sure you wish to risk such a thing?"

The councilman's fear, panic, and anger were evident in his voice, but Lorenz was not swayed. "I understand your concerns. However, while Godzilla has been incapacitated for the time being, preliminary readings indicate that it may reawaken before we are ready. Not only this, but Ikari is planning something. We must move before he does," he explained calmly. "Now, what is the status of our preparations?"

Another councilman cleared his throat. "Construction of the Evangelion mass production series has been accelerated, as decided upon in our last meeting. Units five to thirteen have been completed, with units fourteen to sixteen in the final stages of construction. However, as expected, the increased production has resulted in some security issues, but as far as we know, all have been resolved."

Lorenz nodded, satisfied. "Very well. We have but to wait for the death of Tabris, then we can at last free ourselves of Ikari and Nerv."

* * *

 _"Why does he make me feel this way?"_

Rei watched Shinji as he glanced at her and quickly moved away, Kaworu at his side. She wasn't sure why, but whenever she saw him, she felt a strange sense of longing, tempered by a deep sadness. It was as if she had known him once, then forgotten him.

"Perhaps I should speak to him. That might make things clearer," she thought, moving towards the elevator the two boys had stepped in to. Before the doors could close, she stepped inside. Shinji looked away from her, while Kaworu regarded her with interest.

"Ikari," she mumbled, surprised by her own nervousness, "are... are you well?" Shinji continued to look away. "Y... yeah, I am, Re - Ayanami." "I... I'm glad to hear that, Ikari." The elevator doors opened, and the two boys stepped out. Shinji glanced back at her for a moment, and continued walking.

Rei continued watching him as the doors closed. She rubbed her eyes as tears began to flow.

* * *

Asuka's face was buried in her arms as she sat bent over on the toilet. She knew she wouldn't be disturbed if she blocked out the world with the walls of the cubicle.

 _"Why am I so upset over Shinji choosing someone over me? It shouldn't bother me at all! All I need that idiot to do is to support me in combat!"_

 _"Because I like him."_

 _"Don't be stupid! Why would I like him, of all people?"_

 _"Because he's kind. He cares about me. Everyone else would just want me for my body, and Kaji isn't interested in me at all."_

 _"Oh, shut the fuck up! I can make Kaji interested in me! And what makes me think Shinji doesn't want me for my body?! I know he has a load of jerk-off fantasies about me!"_

 _"Because... it's just... it's just a feeling I have..."_

 _"The same feeling I had about Mama, before she abandoned me?! The same feeling I had about Papa, before he fucked that whore?! What the hell do I know?"_

 _"What about Mari?"_

 _"What about that bitch?"_

 _"I think she actually likes me too."_

 _"So what?! She's an annoying bitch! Besides, why the fuck would we fuck another girl?!"_

 _"Please stop."_

 _"I'm sick and fucking tired of all these pieces of shit around me! Why the fuck can't they recognise how good I am?! Why does everyone end up abandoning me?!"_

 _"Just fucking stop!"_ Asuka slammed her fist into the wall. After a moment of silence, she stood up and walked out. _"That bitch Misato keeps getting drunk to escape her problems. Maybe I should do the same."_

* * *

What was this sensation? Everything it could feel had been... multiplied. It could feel its skin, as hard as rock, yet also soft and raw. And its eyes... so many now. So many sights. It was disorientating and nauseating.

Yet it was slowly becoming comfortable. Familiar. Natural. This was their existence now, and they were ready to break free of their old body. The coagulant was still in their bodies, but it was slowly fading.

Soon, the Godzillas would awaken. And this time, they would let nothing stand in their way.


	16. Betrayal and Revelation

Shinji tossed and turned in his bed, unable to sleep despite his exhaustion. His body seemed to be struggling to stay awake, and to keep his mind occupied with his tormented thoughts.

Accepting defeat, he turned to face Rei's futon, which was now Kaworu's. To his surprise, the boy was already looking at him, a reassuring smile on his face. "Do you want to tell me what's going through your mind, Shinji?" Shinji thought for a moment. "I... I guess..."

Kaworu continued smiling, and Shinji forced himself to speak. "It's Ayanami... Doctor Akagi told me that she only... you know... because my Father told her to. I guess I shouldn't be surprised... Father always cares more about his plans than me. I guess he justed wanted her to keep me here... to keep me piloting the Eva." He sighed. "And all the while, I thought I'd finally found someone who loved me."

Kaworu's smile had faded, and he had averted his eyes from the desperate boy. Quickly, he smiled again and looked back. "Shinji... you know, even if she was only with you for your Father's plans to begin with... that doesn't mean she couldn't have truly loved you. Perhaps, in the end, she cared more about you than your Father's plans." Shinji was silent for a moment, then smiled faintly. "Thank you, Kaworu."

* * *

"Shinji! Shinji, wake up!" Misato hurriedly shook the boy. As soon as his eyes began to open, she pulled him to his feet, and, running, dragged him behind her as she ran towards the cages. "M... Misato, what's h..happening?!" he stuttered, but she didn't have time to answer. "I'll tell you when you're in the Eva, but there's no time right now!"

Her phone began to ring, and she grabbed it with her spare hand. "Hyuga, sitrep!" "EVA-02 and Ex.01 have launched and are enroute to Terminal Dogma, EVA-03 is still refusing all commands!" Misato scowled. "Shit! I'm on my way to 01 with Shinji, tell Asuka and Mari to engage as soon as they see that little shit, we don't have any time left!"

* * *

"Tabris has begun his descent to Lilith in EVA-03. The remaining Nerv Evas have been sortied against him." Lorenz nodded, his face grim. "I will be praying for their success. This is the moment of decision. We have everything to gain, and everything to lose."

* * *

"Kaworu is an Angel?! What are you talking about, Misato?!" Shinji gripped the controls as he tried to comprehend what Misato was saying. "I don't know how, Shinji, but he is an Angel, and he's headed for Lilith! If he reaches her, he'll start Third Impact, and kill us all!" "What do you want me to do, Misato?! Kill him?!" "... yes, Shinji."

* * *

"Just fucking die already!" Asuka yelled as she stabbed towards 03 with her prog knife, only to see the black Eva narrowly dodge her attack and grab her right arm. She tried to pull it back, but Kaworu's grip was too strong. He pushed the arm down to his knee and applied pressure. Asuka screamed as the Eva's arm ruptured in a fountain of blood and bone.

Kaworu turned away from the crippled Eva and stepped towards the white giant. _"The Lilin told me that this is my original body... but..."_ He grunted as he felt a sharp pain in his left knee, and looked back to see Ex.01. Despite missing half it's face, the Eva had recovered enough to thrust its lance through 03's knee. Its leg collapsed, agony surging through Kaworu's body.

Mari grinned, despite the pain burning across her face. "You're fucking dead now, you piece of shit!" With her free arm, she grabbed 03's throat and began squeezing the life out of it, grinning with sadistic pleasure as she watched its hands desperately struggle to break her grip. Then, in a flash, it grabbed its prog knife and sliced through Ex.01's neck. As she felt her head being severed from her body, Mari screamed in terror, her Eva collapsing to the ground.

Kaworu looked up from the fallen experimental Eva to see EVA-02 charging at him, too quickly for him to react as its foot crashed into 03's face, sending it to the ground. "You fucking son of a bitch, I'll fucking kill you!" Asuka screamed as she straddled 03 and slammed the Eva's last working fist into its face. After several blows, Kaworu grabbed the arm in one hand and pulled 02 towards one of his shoulder pylons. The pylon burst open and fired dozens of spikes into 02's face, and Asuka screamed as she felt her face being torn apart.

Kaworu pushed the twitching Eva off of 03, and dragged himself towards the white giant. _"Now, time to end this."_ He ejected the entry plug, stepped out, and generated an AT field, levitating him towards... _"No... this is Lilith! They... they_ ** _want_** _to lose their AT fields..."_

A giant purple hand wrapped around him, and he gasped as the air was forced out of his lungs. "Shinji..." The hand turned him around, until he was looking into the eyes of 01. "Kaworu..." Shinji's shaking voice emanated from the Eva's speakers. "You... you betrayed my feelings... you made me think I could trust you!" Kaworu felt his stomach tighten. _"No... my friendship was real..."_ He remembered what Shinji had told him. He remembered the boy's vulnerability. His fear. His longing to belong. _"I wanted to... why did I reach out to you?"_ His eyes widened as he realised. _"You Lilin... are every bit as deserving of life as my children..."_

He looked back at Lilith. _"Do I have the right to exterminate the Lilin, so that my children may live? Can I end their miserable lives, when they have a chance to be happy?"_ He looked up at the Eva, and pictured Shinji inside, the boy's spirit crushed by his betrayal. _"We have done nothing but to attack them... no, I cannot kill them... and as long as I live, I might."_

"Shinji... you have to kill me," he sighed, resigned to his fate. "What are you talking about, Kaworu?!" Shinji screamed, involuntarily tightening his grip. "Stop playing with my head!" "I'm not, Shinji, my friend," Kaworu explained calmly. "I'm an Angel. If I make contact with Adam's body, it will be the end of your species. But meeting you... you've shown me that you Lilin need this life more than my children do. But my existence is too much of a danger for you. I need to die for your species to live, Shinji."

He looked up on instinct, and saw Rei standing above the Eva, looking down at him. He smiled. "It's up to you now, my sister." He felt the hand around him begin to shake, and he realised that Shinji was frightened. "It's alright, Shinji," he smiled. "This is the right thing to do." He felt his bones begin to crack, and his organs burst apart under the pressure of the Eva's squeeze. _"Now... you have a chance to be happy, Shinji."_

* * *

"Tabris is dead. We must move quickly. How long until the JSSDF is sufficiently equipped to assault Nerv?"

"Around a week."

"Then, in a mere week, we shall at last commence the Human Instrumentality Project. In a mere week, all the evil we have done shall be wiped away. In a mere week, the Human race will no longer be in pain."


	17. And Behold, A Pale Horse

"JSSDF forces have entered Nerv HQ!" Misato swore. "Shit! Pull the security forces back here, we need consolidate and hold out as long as we can!" She turned to Hyuga. "Get the Evas out there now!" Hyuga glanced up at her. "Ma'am, Asuka and Mari are ready to launch, but Shinji... he's..." An image of the boy flashed up on Hyuga's screen. He was curled up in a foetal position underneath a staircase, and Misato froze as she heard gunfire near him. "Oh god... they'll kill him. What about Rei?" "Don't worry about her, Major," Fuyutsuki ordered from above. "The Commander is with her now."

 _"To do what?"_ Misato thought to herself. _"No, never mind that now. I have to get Shinji."_ She turned to Hyuga. "I'm going to get Shinji to 01, be ready to launch him ASAP!" She ran out into the corridor, unholstering her sidearm. She gestured to a nearby security squad to follow her.

* * *

Gendo removed his glove, and looked at the embryonic Adam growing in his palm. His skin burned where it met the Angel, their bodies rejecting one another. _"But such pain is meaningless now,"_ he thought, looking back at Rei. Goosebumps covered her nude body as she stood in the cold of Terminal Dogma. _"She's like Yui in almost every way..."_ Gendo's heart beat faster as it finally dawned on him that, at last, he would see his beloved again soon. "Let's go."

* * *

"Hayabusa 1-1, Muromets, drop confirmed, target is city centre, over."

"Muromets, Hayabusa 1-1, roger, weapon is away, over."

The N2 mine tore the ground apart, it's intense heat burning away the coagulant within the Godzillas' veins. They tore free from their old body, raining down onto the geofront below. The impact did them no harm, and they rose up on their long, slender legs.

The smell of their creator was even stronger now. They looked in the direction of the smell, and saw a cracked pyramid, the sounds and smells of battle emanating from it. Their instincts screamed at them to stay away from the stench of death, but they knew that their creator was there, and they would let nothing stop them. The army of Godzillas ran towards the slaughter, their spines glowing bright purple.

Tanks stood in their way, their guns silent but ready, aimed at the geofront lake. As one, the Godzillas blasted their beams forth from their mouths, and the tanks were at once sliced open and melted away, their crews turned to ash in seconds. The Godzillas charged ahead, swarming into the cracks and openings of Nerv HQ.

One turned a corner, and stopped as it saw a hallway full of corpses. Godzilla had never been so close to Humans before. They had always been tiny, insignificant creatures, curiosities at best. But now, it couldn't help but stare at their faces, recognising the terror in their lifeless eyes.

A hail slammed into its back, and it turned around to see several JSSDF soldiers firing at it. It knew what they were trying to do. Its mouth sprang open and fire poured out, engulfing the soldiers in agony.

It didn't matter what they felt. The Godzillas would not let anything stop them from reaching Lilith.

* * *

"Hyuga, did you find Kaji yet?!" Misato grunted as she sprinted through the bloodstained and bullet-ridden corridors towards EVA-01's cage, dragging Shinji's limp form behind her. She was alone now. The security team hadn't made it. "Not yet ma'am, I'll keep you post - oh god..." "What is it it?!" Misato yelled, her stomach constricting with dread. "It's... Godzilla! It's split into hundreds of organisms, and it's invading the base!" "What?!"

Hyuga watched as the Godzillas stormed through the base, incinerating and tearing apart anyone they found, JSSDF and Nerv alike. His eyes were transfixed to to carnage, unable to look away from the massacre.

* * *

Asuka held her breath as she sat on the bottom of the lake, Mari beside her in Ex.01. "How the fuck did they even get a ship in here?!" she muttered, waiting for the next round of depth charges. "And why the fuck are these idiots trying to kill us? And why is Misato having us wait down here? Who cares if Shinji isn't here, we shouldn't be relying on that idiot for anything!" "If you want to go up there, I'm right behind you," Mari replied. Asuka stopped for a moment. _"She... wants to help me?"_ "Thanks," she mumbled. "Alright, let's go!"

The Evas leapt out of the water, tearing the frigate above them in half. Immediately, JSSDF artillery, armour, and aircraft began firing on them. "You're all fucking **dead**!" Asuka screamed, charging towards a platoon of tanks. Without any hesitation, she kicked one of the tanks, sending it into the air. It crashed down hard, shattering the bones of the crew. Before it hit the ground, Asuka had already turned her attention to two of the remaining tanks, crushing them underfoot, reducing the crew inside to pulp. The last one she picked up and threw into the cockpit of a nearby VTOL, sending both vehicles crashing and burning towards the ground.

Mari watched, horrified. _"Does she even care that there are people in there?!"_ She snapped out of her thoughts and turned back to see a massive cruise missile headed towards her. Instinctively, she raised her lance and lunged at the missile, and it detonated in midair, sending nearby VTOLs tumbling down into the ground.

There was a loud bang, and Mari swore as she realised that the JSSDF had concentrated their fire on her power cable, severing it. Only five minutes of power left. "Look out, Asuka!" She yelled in horror as they shifted their attention to 02, but it was too late. 02's cable fell to the ground, sparking.

* * *

Misato pushed Shinji into the elevator. "Shinji. Listen to me. Asuka and Mari need your help." The boy remained silent. "I know that... what you did... I know it's hard, but you have to fight now. Or we're all done for." She took off her cross, and placed it around Shinji's neck. "It's up to you now." She hit the button for the Eva cages and stepped out.

She could hear the Godzillas behind her. She drew her pistol and turned to face them, knowing she didn't stand a chance. But she had to delay them, no matter the cost. _"I'm sorry, Shinji."_

* * *

Asuka's head shot up as she heard guttural laughter from the sky, and saw twelve figures circling the two Evas, gliding on massive wings of pure white. "The Eva series..." she whispered. "It's been completed?"

* * *

The Godzillas' heads shot up as they smelt the mass of Evangelions. They remembered what had happened last time, and this time they would take no chances. Five of the Godzillas continued to Terminal Dogma. The rest headed for the Evas.


	18. Collapse

The MP Evas landed, their weight shaking the ground. Their heads were long and undefined, with large, grinning mouths surrounded by blood-red lips. They held large, clumsy-looking double bladed swords. But Asuka didn't care about any of that. She simply charged towards the closest one and, grabbing its cheeks, tore its face off. She grinned as the Eva's blood was automatically wiped off of 02's visors. "Well, four eyes, are you going to help?"

* * *

Shinji sat against the wall of the cage, his forehead resting on his knees. 01 stood across from him, frozen within bakelite. The JSSDF had made neutralising 01 their priority. There was nothing he could do, even if he wanted to.

Within his mind, a series of images flashed by on a loop. Making love to Rei. Her death. The tank full of her clones. Kaworu comforting him. Him killing Kaworu. _"Whenever something good happens to me, it gets taken away, and it hurts me. Why? Why is the world like this?"_

* * *

Asuka grabbed the MP Eva's arm and pulled it with her as she fell into the lake, screaming as she rammed her prog knife through the roof of its skull into its mouth, accidentally snapping the blade off as she went to pull it out. Leaping to the surface, she saw another Eva approaching her, only for it to be stabbed through the chest by Mari's lance. Blood sprayed out of the open wound as the Eva fell with a twisted groan.

Asuka yelped as her head was pulled backwards by another MP Eva. She slammed her elbow into its stomach, and it staggered back onto the shore. She launched herself at it and began to strangle it. Aware that more might be approaching her, she forced the disgusting creature's face onto her right shoulder pylon and activated the spike launcher. The spikes tore into its flesh, and Asuka grinned in sadistic pleasure as it collapsed onto the ground.

* * *

"Shinji, you retard! Where the hell are you!?" Asuka's voice called out over the loudspeakers. Shinji shrank inwards, wishing to hide from Asuka's voice. "Why the hell aren't you up here?"

 _"_ _Why didn't you ever help me?"_ , Shinji wondered.

* * *

Mari twisted around as one of the Evas tore cut through one of her legs. "Fuck!" she yelled as her Eva fell unevenly. Before the MP Eva could do any more damage, she slammed her lance into its open mouth and sent its brains flying through the air. "Asuka," she gasped, "I can't move, I need some help here!"

Asuka's body was surging with adrenaline, and Mari's cries for help went unheard as she repeatedly slammed an Eva's face into the ground, turning it to pulp. It stopped struggling, and Asuka stood, only for one of the swords to come flying at her out of nowhere. In an instant, she pulled up her AT field, and the sword came to a stop in midair. As she watched, it changed shape, shrinking to a longer, more slender form.

Before she could comprehend what had happened, the MP spear of Longinus tore through her AT field and skewered her Eva's eyes. She screamed in agony, clutching her face as blood poured freely from her ruptured eye. _"What the hell is happening?!"_

Mari's head shot over to look at 02 as Asuka's screams tore through the comms channel, but before she could comprehend what she was seeing, another spear shot towards her and went straight through Ex.01's spine. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" she screamed, desperately trying in vain to move her legs.

Asuka looked up, and saw the MP Evas flying through the air on their pure white wings once more, as she watched, one with half a prog knife sticking out of it's skull suddenly dove towards her. _"No... that's... I killed that one!"_

She stared in terror as all the Evas descended upon her and Mari, their mouths widening into perverse smiles. They landed, and, without a moment's pause, sank their teeth into the flesh of the Evas, as though they were starving vultures. The two girls each screamed in pure agony as they felt their flesh and bone being eaten by the demonic Evas.

The Godzillas watched the carnage unfold, staying clear of the MP Evas. In their smaller form, their beams couldn't penetrate the AT fields, and they could easily be stepped on by the now larger Evas. There was only one thing they could do.

They clumped together, their flesh twisting into old forms as it melted together. What had once been a group of individual beings was now a meaty lump of bone, spines, teeth, and eyes, contorting and reshaping itself into what it had been before. Godzilla bellowed a ground-shaking roar, and as the MP Evas looked up to face it, it blasted an atomic beam through the air.

Asuka watched as the beam came towards her, the MP Evas fleeing into the sky She lifted her arm, but 02 was motionless. "Where the fuck are you, Shinji?! Why aren't you here?! I don't want to d-"

* * *

Shinji clamped his hands over his ears as he retreated into himself. _"Why the hell does everyone expect me to do **everything**?! Why do they always make **me** pilot the Eva?! Why do they make **me** risk my life?! Why is it **always** me?!"_

 _"_ _They **all** used me! Dad, Misato, Rei, Kaworu, Asuka, Mari... none of them cared about me, they just wanted something from me! I just... I just want them all to..."_

* * *

Mari stared in horror at the melted metal and charred flesh that had once been 02. "Asuka? Asuka?!" She looked up, and saw Godzilla standing over her. The beast lifted its foot, and Mari closed her eyes as it came down on Ex.01's head.

Godzilla looked up at the MP Evas as they circled above it, looking for their chance to strike. Godzilla knew that it couldn't afford them to fight on their own terms. Roaring defiantly, it bent over, its spines pointing to the sky. Atomic energy surged through its body, and it forced it out of its back, wincing in pain as dozens of beams exploded out of its flesh. One of the Evas was sliced into pieces by the atomic beams, its dummy plug disintegrating in an instant, its core bisected.

The remains of destroyed Eva rained down on the Geofront as the other MP Evas landed in a circle around Godzilla, their spears ready. Godzilla looked around at them, sizing them up, preparing to make its move.

* * *

"Godzilla has engaged the MP Evas and destroyed one, how do we proceed?!" Lorenz scowled as the terrified councilman's whining pierced his ears. "We do not need all of them to initiate Instrumentality", he grunted. "But as long as Godzilla lives, everything is at risk."

"Let them fight."


	19. The End is Nigh

Godzilla swung its tail across the ground, slamming it into the ribs of two MP Evas, knocking them to the ground. An atomic beam tore out of the tail's tip and sliced through the stunned Evas, burning their flesh away as bizarre screams escaped their monstrous lips.

Behind them, another Eva saw an opening. It launched itself into the air, and threw its spear into Godzilla's exposed back. The giant abomination roared in agony as the cold metal hit its spine. Enraged, it spewed fire from its mouth, turning the Geofront into an inferno. The Evas stood in place, unmoved.

* * *

"Shinji? Shinji?!" He looked up as Maya's shaking voice came through the loudspeakers. "Asuka and Mari are... they're... you have to get out of there, you can't get use the Eva against them!"

 _"_ _What's the point of moving?"_ Shinji thought, pulling his head back towards his chest. _"Why should I bother, when people will let me down everywhere I go? I should just die here. It would be easier that way."_

* * *

An Eva sprinted towards Godzilla, swiftly dodging the atomic beam that sliced through the air towards it. It slid between Godzilla's legs, stabbing into the creature's groin. There was no effect. Godzilla simply stepped back and bought its foot down on the Eva's leg, crippling it. As the Eva dragged itself away, Godzilla bought its foot down on the pitiful thing's head.

Suddenly, Godzilla's head jerked up. Blood poured out of its mouth as a spear tore through the exposed flesh on the back of its neck, and a gurgling scream escaped its jaws. It turned to face the Eva that had injured it, its spine shifting from purple to blue. It opened its maw, even as blood continued to pour out, and spewed out a solid blue beam of energy. The Eva turned to ash.

Godzilla stood still for a moment, recovering from the massive surge of power its new mutation had created. Suddenly, one of the Evas landed on its head, and before it could react, the Eva had slammed two spears into its eyes. Blinded, Godzilla screamed out in agony and confusion. It shook its head, and the Eva fell off, only to be incinerated by Godzilla's atomic breath as it blindly immolated the ground.

Even with its now improved stores of energy, Godzilla was exhausted, and shock from its injuries was setting in. The giant staggered to a halt, freezing in place.

* * *

 _"So,_ it's _time."_ She knew, without seeing, that Godzilla had stopped. _"You're all ready, aren't you? All our decades of planning finally bear fruit."_ She pushed against the bakelite encasing her, tearing through solid metal, and slammed her hand into the wall next to Shinji. _"It will all be over soon, my son."_

* * *

"Yui has awoken. The time is now."

Rei looked up at Gendo, ignoring Ritsuko's corpse floating in a perversely peaceful way in the LCL behind her, and her own arm lying on the floor. All her attention was focused on the closest thing she had to a Father. His eyes were greedy, impatient for her to finally fulfill her purpose.

 _"_ _Is this all I exist for?"_ She frowned. _"No... there was something else, wasn't there?"_ She remembered a sensation. Comforting arms around her. The beating of someone else's heart. A feeling of... care. Care from another person.

"Now, Rei, release your AT field, the barrier of your mind. Discard these imperfect physical forms we have been imprisoned in. Bring all our souls together, as one. And bring Yui back to me."

Gendo's arm slowly reached forwards, grasping Rei's breast. As her AT field faded, she could feel what Gendo was thinking. He could have placed his hand anywhere, but in his unbearably long to reunite with Yui, he was desperate to feel the skin of his beloved again, even that of the clone body Rei was inside.

 _"_ _But I don't want this..."_

His hand fell into her flesh as her AT field further deteriorated.

 _"_ _... didn't Shinji touch me in a similar way, that night?"_

Gendo's hand pushed it's way downwards, into her stomach.

 _"_ _Shinji... would you have used me like this? As a tool? Did you?"_

Gendo's eyes widened in shock as she absorbed his arm into her flesh, leaving him to collapse to the ground, gripping his stump. "Rei?!" was all he could say in a strangled gasp as everything turned against him.

She turned away from him, gently flying up to Lilith's chest. "Shinji..." she whispered.

* * *

Shinji out at the raging storm that had suddenly appeared over the geofront, with EVA-01 at its centre. _"What's happening? Where are -"_ Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a large, pitch black shape approaching him. It flew in front of him, and he saw the charred, melted remains of an arm, still attached to half of its body's chest. His eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of red metal through the black. His mouth opened in a scream

* * *

"I'm home."

"Welcome home."


	20. I Need To Ask You Something

"Christ, you make me sick." Shinji looked up at Asuka, her face centimetres away from his. She raised her hand and slapped him, before standing up and getting him out of her body. "You pretended to be happy with that blowup doll, yet here you are, wishing you could fuck me instead. Pathetic." "Is that why I disgust you?" Shinji murmured. "Or is it because I remind you of yourself?"

Asuka turned to face him, furious. "Get out of my head, you piece of shit!" she yelled, slamming her fist into his neck. He bolted up, gagging. She rolled her eyes. " **You** go around, meekly doing whatever people want! The only time you ever take charge is when you're with that blowup doll, and that's only because you're so desperate to get your dick wet!"

"And as for you, you old bitch, you're enabling him!" She pointed her finger at Misato, who simply responded with a guilt-ridden expression. "You go around pretending to be some sort of mother figure to us, but when those two start fucking, you ignore all common sense and take the easy route! It's too hard for you to tell him to stop fucking that piece of cardboard, but you have no problem having him go into battle! What the hell is wrong with you, you disgusting old whore?!"

"And you..." she turned to face Mari. "God, you're annoying. Just leave me alone." Mari stepped forwards. "I-" "I said fuck off!" Asuka screamed. "Is that what you want? To be alone?" Rei asked, appearing behind the shaking girl. "Oh, great, now I'm being lectured by a fleshlight," Asuka sneered. "At least I want things. You just do whatever you're told to do."

"Do you belittle others to make yourself seem more important?" Asuka instantly responded by slamming her fist into Rei's nose. "Shut your fucking mouth!" "It's because of your parents, isn't it?" Rei continued, unfazed. "Your Mother abandoned you for dolls after part of her soul was taken into EVA-02, and your Father immediately began an affair with a younger woman. You were abandoned. And part if you still thinks that you were the one at fault. That you weren't good enough."

"Into... 02? What the fuck are you talking about, you stupid bitch!? You're just trying to mess with my head!" Asuka again swung her fist at Rei, but her fist met nothing but air as her surroundings evaporated into darkness. "Wh... where did everyone go!?" she yelled, frantically looking around. "If you continue to push people away from you, you will end up alone. Is that truly what you want?" Rei's disembodied voice asked. "Shut up! I don't need anyone, least of all any of them!"

"You want to be as alone as you were back then for the rest of your life?" "I told you, I don't need anyone's help!" "Are you saying that to me? Or to yourself?" Asuka was silent for a moment. "Go away." The darkness faded, and she found herself in Misato's living room with the others. Mari reached out a hand to comfort her, but she simply slapped it away.

Rei turned to Shinji, who quickly turned his face away. "Shinji," she asked, her voice wavering slightly, "please... tell me... that night, did you truly care about me? Or was I simply a tool to make you feel better?" Shinji remained silent, even as their surroundings shifted to a small, messy apartment. The sun blazed outside, and a fan worked at full power to cool down a young man and woman as they pressed their bodies to each other. "Is it good to be wanted, even if just for your body?" Rei asked, looking up at Misato.

She was silent for a moment, watching her younger self hold Kaji tightly as she panted from her exertion. "Everyone wants to feel wanted for something," she finally said. "But... being wanted only for your body... you can't live like that." She shifted her gaze to Kaji. "The right person will never just want your body, anyway," she murmured, smiling faintly.

Their surroundings evaporated and solidified once again. Now they stood in a grimy school toilet block. A young girl, too young, dragged a nervous boy with her into one of the cubicles, slamming it shut and locking it. Rei looked across at Mari, who stared at the cubicle her younger self was using with a blank expression. "What do you think of a person when you simply want their body?" Rei asked.

Mari was silent for a moment. "Only... only if you'll enjoy... sleeping with them, I guess." She looked away as her younger self left the cubicle, alone. "Their feelings... what they think of you... they don't really come in to the picture. They're just a tool, really."

Once again, their surroundings faded away, but now the others were left behind. Shinji and Rei stood in front of each other in a dark room, the only illumination coming from a tube of LCL that connected into the floor and roof. "Shinji..." Rei's voice wavered. "Shinji... I... I think I love you. Please... please tell me you feel the same. Please, don't just be using my body."

Shinji stared at the floor. "Why, Rei?" he whispered. "Why didn't you tell me? Because Father told you not to? Why the fuck are you asking me that, when you've been manipulating me from the beginning!? he screamed. "Doctor Akagi told me everything! I loved you, and you just betrayed me like all the others!" He reached out and crushed Rei's throat. As she desperately tried to breathe, tears streaming down her face, Shinji continued screaming. "None of you cared about me, all you wanted was for me to pilot the Eva! Why can't everyone just die!?"

"... alright."

* * *

Godzilla's eyes opened. The scent it had been following was overpowering now. It looked up, and saw a being of pure white standing over it. Her arms were raised, as though embracing the world, and dozens of majestic wings flowed gracefully out of her back. Godzilla stared at her, captivated by what he could sense from her, even as his body dissolved into LCL.


	21. All I Want

"My creator," Godzilla thought as the massive, pure white being reappeared before it in the strange, black void it found itself in. She crouched, looking down at it with pity in her eyes. "Godzilla," she whispered. "All your suffering... all the suffering you have caused... all to find the one thing that everything needs. Another of your own kind." She smiled sadly, reaching down to stroke its scarred head.

"And... you can give me that?" Godzilla thought, instinctively knowing that she could hear his thoughts. "All this time... the isolation... can you make it stop?" Rei shook her head, her smile fading. "I can't. You may be my child, but it was not I who turned you into what you are now." Godzilla froze. "So... it was right. I shall die alone." It looked up at Rei. "Why? Why am I alone? What is wrong with me?!" "Let me show you," she said quietly. Suddenly, it remembered everything.

An ear-tearing explosion tore through the warm waters of Bikini Atoll, sending the creature scurrying for its cave. It scrambled inside, just in time to avoid the blast. It was safe, even as the cave nearly shook itself apart. Before long, the explosion had ended, and the creature cautiously swam outside. But it soon found itself alone. Everything else had perished in the blast. There was no food left. But the creature was one of instinct, and its instincts had always been to stay here, where it had spent its entire life - even as it began to starve.

It wasn't long before the first barrels sank down towards it.

Hunger gnawing at its stomach, the creature bit into the barrel, desperate for any food. Tearing the metal away, it found several birds inside. Quickly, it devoured them all, despite the strange smell that came from them. It moved to another barrel. Inside was nothing but coconuts. But these had that same strange smell. Cautiously, the creature took one of the coconuts in its mouth, and bit into it. It had never eaten such a thimg before, yet something was telling it that it should.

As time went on, more barrels fell, the creature ate them, and the strange smell became more appealing, though not enough for the creature to eat the man-made items inside some of the barrels. It began to grow in size, and the water grew warmer around it. Ultimately, the day came when the barrels stopped falling. Desperate once more, the creature took an entire barrel in its mouth, and swallowed it whole, even as the metal tore its throat. But the pain stopped quickly. And when it swallowed another barrel, its throat was too tough to be ripped.

One day, strange figures came down towards it. They watched it, and flashed lights at it. Once, the creature may have checked if they were edible. But now, it only ate things with the strange smell.

"Do you know what happened to you now?" Rei asked. Godzilla thought for a moment. "The... Lilin. They made me like this." She nodded. "And the Lilin are the only ones who can make another Godzilla." It was silent. It thought of how simple its life had been before the mutation. There had been hardships, yes, but it had never felt completely alone. Its flesh had never felt like it was tearing itself apart. It had a reason to exist, back then. Now... now it was nothing but an abomination, pointlessly wandering the Earth in eternal solitude.

"The Lilin... they did this to me. And if they go unchecked, they may - they will do it again. No... now, I have a purpose. They will burn." Rei sighed, and regarded the mutant with pity.

* * *

"Why?" Shinji asked, looking down at his feet. "Why can't people just like me? I piloted the Eva. I... I tried to be friendly, but... you just used me. All of you did." Rei's voice came from behind. "Did you like Asuka?" "... no," Shinji admitted. "But she was rude and arrogant! She didn't treat anyone nicely!" "Did you know why she acted that way? Did you know that her Mother's insanity and her Father's infidelity made her feel inferior and betrayed? Did you know that she was trying to escape and avoid those feelings?" Shinji was silent for a moment. "No, I didn't know." "And now that you do, how do you feel about her?" He stared down at his feet. "I'm... I'm still angry with her. But I guess... I also feel... sorry for her."

"Did you know that Misato feels immense guilt from asking you to pilot the Eva? That, in many ways, she views you as her own son?" "... I didn't." "Did you know that your Father abandoned you because he felt that you would be better of without him? That he believes that all he does is cause you pain?" Shinji was still for a moment. "He's right about that," he murmured.

"You aren't the only one who has hardships to face, Shinji. Everyone is weighed down by misfortune, guilt, and regret. But here, in instrumentality, there will be no others. There will be no you. There will be no life. Simply a collection of souls in perfect harmony." Shinji closed his eyes. "I... I like the sound of that..." Rei smiled sadly. "But you won't experience it. You will cease to exist as an individual. Everything you loved, everything you wanted, and yes, everything you hated, will simply disappear. No-one will love you, because there will be no-one to love you and no you to love."

Shinji thought for a moment. "Perhaps... it would be better like that." He felt someone else's comforting hand gently squeeze his shoulder. "No. It wouldn't," a familiar but unrecognisable voice said. "The only real way to be happy is to fight for it. You can't submit to the pain. You have to keep going, fighting for yourself. You have to love, even though your heart might break. You have to act, even though you might make mistakes. You have to live, even though it might hurt, because there's only hope when there's life. Anywhere can be paradise as long as you have the will to live."

The presence left as soon as it had appeared, and now Rei stood in front of him. "Shinji, I just want you to be happy. Truly happy." He turned back to look at Rei, tears in his eyes. "You... you really do care about me." She smiled. "Yes." He looked down at his feet. "I... you're right. I want to be happy. I don't want to just give up. But... the others... Misato, Asuka... they're gone. I don't know..." "No. It's alright. Everyone whose souls are here can return, if they choose to."

"Everyone except for me." He stared at her, unwilling to believe her. "No... I... I want..." "It's all okay, Shinji," she said, smiling sadly. "You gave me a chance to actually, properly, live." Tears began to form in her eyes. "The fact that I'm sad means that I was happy, once. Losing someone important to me means that I could connect with someone, something that I thought I would never have." She leaned in closely and softly kissed him. "Thank you, Shinji," she gasped, trying to maintain some of her composure.

"Rei, I -" Shinji's mouth was flooded with LCL. Desperately, he swam upwards, and as his head broke the surface, he saw the remains of the giant, pure white Rei come crashing down around the ravaged countryside.

She was gone.


	22. Interlude

It started with Third Impact.

"There are still people there, you can't - !"

In the aftermath of the Angels and Godzilla, Humanity began rebuilding their shattered world, not realising that it was no longer theirs.

"... epicentre of the earthquake that destroyed San Francisco is... is moving south-east..."

Third Impact had awoken ancient creatures deep in hibernation, who were determined to reclaim their planet.

"... comfirmed deaths due to plane crashes caused by the EMP the creature produces. Experts warn that the unidentified organism may be seeking out radioactive..."

And before long, **it** returned.

"... Hong Kong into a sea of flames. Beneath the flames, millions lie dead or dying. Nothing can save the city now."

But Humanity wasn't willing to give up.

"... similar process used to create the Evangelions, though the G-cells are still unpredictable..."

They were willing to do anything to survive.

"... don't give a shit, Miss Soryu, Faust needs you Eva pilots. There's no-one else. If you refuse to come with us, we're ready to use force."


	23. Terror of the Deep

"There are still days I think about killing myself," Shinji murmured, his head in his hands. "I know that I shouldn't... that as long as I live, there's a chance I'll be happy... but... it's just so hard." He looked up at Rei, who sat on the opposite side of the train carriage.

"Does talking to me help?" she asked, leaning forwards. He nodded. "You, Asuka, Mari, and the others... you make me feel like it's not all bad." He sighed. "I still miss you, though... I wish you could have come back." She stood up and stepped forwards, placing a hand on his shoulder. He reached up and held it. "It's been four years, but..." He sighed. "I still stay up at night, thinking about what I should have done... what might have been..."

"But only if other people had made different decisions," Rei murmured. "We were always their pawns." He looked away. "But not when I... oh god..." Rei's hand moved to his cheek. "You didn't hurt me." "But I wanted to," he gasped. "I wanted to hurt you... to kill you... why did you forgive me?"

"Wake the fuck up!" Asuka yelled, and Shinji snapped his eyes open, swallowing a sickening mouthful of synthetic LCL. "I-I'm here," he stammered, trying to get his bearings. Up ahead, he saw Asuka in Mechagodzilla 01, trying to pry herself free from Ebirah's claws. Quickly, Shinji fired a D-03 missile from one of Mechagodzilla 02's shoulder launchers. The drill warhead grabbed hold of Ebirah's shelled arm, and drilled itself into soft flesh before detonating. The giant Lobster reared back and screeched in pain, his arm severed.

Asuka tore free from the limp pincers and thrust her progressive blade into his face. He convulsed for a few seconds, then stopped. Asuka exhaled. "Thanks for the help back there. You alright?" "Yeah," Shinji lied. "Are you?" "Yep. Let's go home, before the warden thinks we're trying to escape."

* * *

Misato winced. "Please, sir," she said, turning back to face the commander, "she's just stressed, I'm sure she doesn't -" "And I'm sure that she does," Commander Lorenz sneered back. "Lieutenant Colonel Katsuragi, Soryu's childish attitude does not concern me in the slightest as long as she continues to deliver results. However, your constant efforts to placate me are most tedious. If you continue, I may decide to punish Soryu after all."

Misato swallowed. "Y-yes sir, my apologies sir." She turned back to face the monitors, casting a sideways glance at Ritsuko. Her body was tense, her eyes downcast. It was normal for her when in the presence of Lorenz.

* * *

Asuka collapsed on the lounge, and flicked on the TV. She groaned. "Not this shit again." She didn't bother changing the channel. She knew there wasn't any point. No network could refuse the government when the emergency powers law was in effect. "Hey, Shinji, we're on TV again! Get out here, I'm not suffering alone!"

Reluctantly, Shinji dragged himself out of his room as the propaganda short started. It was the same presenter as always, his voice disgustingly cheerful. "Gross," Asuka sneered. "He definitely has a boner for all of us this time." "What do you mean, this time?" Mari snorted as she walked in. "I see that you're watching a history lesson about us again. It was nice of Lorenz to give us such heroic backstories."

The film cut to a shot of Asuka saluting in front of her Mechagodzilla. "God, I wish they'd stop showing that," Asuka muttered, her face in her palm. She looked up. "So, is your snowman going to be joining us next time, or...?" Mari shrugged. "No idea. The drill keeps jamming. Ritsy doesn't know when it'll be fixed." Asuka cringed at the familiar mention of Ritsuko, but said nothing.

"Hey, Puppy, you haven't said a word this whole time! Too engrossed in the story of how you bravely saved the world from your Dad, and totally didn't turn everyone into fanta?" Mari exclaimed, leaning over Shinji's shoulder. "What's up?" "Nothing," he mumbled. "Just thinking." "Well... if you're not too busy thinking", Mari whispered, "we could always... get to know each other a bit better, hmm?" "I'm fine," he said, quickly standing up and going to his room. Mari watched him, grimacing. "He's still not over her, huh? Trapped in a building with two cute girls for four years, and nothing at all."

"Maybe we're just not as sex-crazed as you are," Asuka sighed. Mari shook her head. "Shinji? Having no interest in sex at all? Something's up. Well, it isn't, and that's not how I remember it being back then." Asuka rolled her eyes. "Look, just let him deal with it in his own time, alright?" Mari held her hands up. "Alright, alright..." "Am I seriously going to be stuck with just the three of you my entire life?" Asuka whispered to herself, frustrated. "Uh... Asuka... there's just two of us." Mari said, confused. "I... I know that, I'm just tired," Asuka sighed.

* * *

Even resting in deep water, Godzilla could sense the Human vessel above itself. Tons of steel forcing itself through the water like a blunt knife, propelled by the sheer brute force of its engine, carrying expensive cargo from one corner of the world to another. Godzilla didn't know if this ship was carrying radioactive material or not. Nor did it care.

The ocean exploded in a blast of purple as dozens of atomic beams sliced through the freighter's hull. Within seconds, the remains were sinking below the surface. In minutes, it was as though it had never existed at all.

Godzilla rose to its feet. It had been too long since it last punished the humans. It stepped forwards, seeking out a new den of pollution to incinerate.

* * *

He blinked his eyes as the unfiltered sunlight assaulted them. It had been so long since he had seen the sky, or felt the breeze on his skin. Yet things were different. The air smelt of smoke, and strange shapes rose up in the distance.

But what had happened? All he could remember was the sky catching fire and rocks collapsing over the entrance to its cave, trapping him and forcing him into hibernation. Then, a strange barrage of feelings and memories, none of which were his own. And now, he had awoken on this beach.

He was vulnerable here, he knew that. He had to find a new cave, new food, new watering holes. But despite all this, he was overjoyed at his newfound freedom. Spreading his wings and roaring in triumph, Rodan took flight.


	24. I Wish I Could

Lorenz looked across the table at the other members of Seele. They made him sick. Where he had once seen respect in their eyes, there was now arrogant dismissal. Regardless, he cleared his throat. "The most recent emergence was that of a giant crustacean, which we have codenamed Ebirah. We deployed both Mechagodzillas and destroyed the creature."

One of the councilmen started slowly clapping. "Congratulations, **Commander**. It's good to know that you've finally found your true calling as a lobster chef." Lorenz sneered. He had faced ridicule every day since the failure of the Human Instrumentality Project six years ago. It was clear that his former subordinates would never forget or forgive his failure.

"And how goes the development of MOGUERA?", the chairman asked. Lorenz forced himself to look at his successor. "Doctor Akagi reports that the drill mechanism is experiencing problems. The head unit may be too small to house all the necessary hardware." "Then make the head bigger," the chairman sighed, shaking his head. "Very well," Lorenz growled, gritting his teeth as the snickering of the council pierced his ears.

"Moving on, what of your personnel? How is morale at Faust?" the chairman asked. "The rank and file are eager, and motivated by our successes. But..." Lorenz paused for a moment. "The higher level staff, such as Lieutenant Colonel Katsuragi and Doctor Akagi, as well as the pilots, are... less enthused about their duty." _"And if not for their experience, I would have dealt with them long ago,"_ he thought bitterly. "Understandable, given the circumstances of their recruitment... and having to work with you," a councilman smirked.

The chairman faintly smiled, then turned back to Lorenz. "And what of Godzilla? Any updates?" Lorenz straightened up slightly, realising that the tedious meeting was about to end. "Nothing concrete since Rio de Janeiro, but there are reports of ships disappearing in the South Atlantic. It could be Godzilla, or simply another new monster." The chairman nodded. "Very well. Inform us the moment anything happens. This meeting is adjourned."

* * *

Ritsuko stared blankly at the repair operations in the Mechagodzilla cage at Faust headquarters. She'd see this routine countless times, each more boring than the last. _"But it's not as though I have anything better to do,"_ she thought as she walked over to Maya's console. "How's it look?", she asked in a dull monotone. "The control cables and bonds are still interfacing properly with the flesh," Maya reported, "and the growth inhibitors are preventing the G-cells from expanding beyond the set limits." Ristuko sighed. "So, business as usual, huh?"

She paused for a moment, as one of the crewmen caught her eye. His skin was tanned a light brown. She scowled. "Fuck, I miss seeing the Sun." "Don't we all?" She turned around to see Misato walk through the doors. She snorted. "All you miss is beer." Misato rolled her eyes. "Ha ha, yeah, hilarious, I had to be locked up in a bunker to stop being an alcoholic. It was so funny the last thousand times you pointed that out." Ritsuko sighed. "Sorry," she mumbled, turning back to watch the Mechagodzillas. Misato looked at the back of her head, frowning. "Forget about it, it's fine," she sighed.

Ritsuko said nothing. _"Coming back from instrumentality was a mistake,"_ she thought bitterly.

* * *

"It must be nice for you", Shinji mumbled, looking across at Rei, "being... how did you put it? 'Perceiving everything at once'?". Rei shook her head. "No... I miss linear time. When your past self leaves instrumentality, my last sense of... normality will be gone."

Shinji was silent. "Sorry," he sighed. "That was stupid of me to say. It's just so... boring here. We're never allowed out. I haven't spoken to a person other than those two for an entire year, outside of missions." He rubbed his eyes. "I just want it to stop."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. _"I want to tell him what happens,"_ Rei thought. _"But if I did that..."_ She looked up, and Shinji faded away. The train car evaporated into darkness moments later. She sighed. For Shinji, Third Impact was the distant past. For her, it was the present, as was the sight of Shinji trying to use a payphone on a sweltering hot day in Tokyo-3, glimpsing her hours before they met.

And she also saw what awaited him. Tears in his eyes. A charred corpse in his arms. A blood red sky. A city in flames.

And two living gods locked in a battle to the death.


	25. Flames of Arras

The blaring siren tore through her ears as she was violently shaken. It wasn't a good way to wake up. "Come on, stupid!" Asuka growled. "They just sounded the scramble!" Mari rubbed her sleep-filled eyes. "Why're you waking me up? I don't have anything to pilot, remember?" "What are you, stupid!?" Asuka yelled. "They got the snowman working yesterday!" "Fuck, that's right," Mari thought, overcoming her drowsiness. She began to fumble for her glasses, only for Asuka to shove them onto her face and grab her arm, pulling her out of bed. "Come on, hurry!" She threw Mari's plugsuit towards her, and ran out the door.

Mari clumsily pulled off her clothes, leaving them scattered on the floor with the rest of her wardrobe. _"How long was it since that lobster? Six days? I thought we'd get a longer break than that this time,"_ she thought, rolling her eyes as she pulled the plugsuit up around her. She activated the seal, and it immediately compressed into a tight, form-fitting piece.

Dragging herself outside, she soon woke up properly and began running down the sterile white corridors of Faust HQ towards the briefing room. _"Why did this have to happen in the morning, of all times?!"_ Eventually she got to the briefing room, and entered to see Misato relaying information to Shinji and Asuka. "... structural damage to Arras. Other than that, reports are confused. Some are saying that there's only one monster, while others are reporting multiple creatures. And..." she paused, composing herself. "A majority of the reports state that the creatures are a new evolution of Godzilla."

Mari's stomach twisted, and her mouth went dry. _"The last time I saw that thing..."_ she gritted her teeth as she remembered watching that foot come down towards her, and the split second of pure agony as her bones collapsed and her organs burst out of her skin.

"- ri? Are you okay?" Her eyes widened, and she looked up to see Shinji looking at her with a scared expression. She quickly shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine" she lied, trying her best to smile. "I finally get to use MOGUERA out there, so... I feel better than ever." As her mouth closed, the thoughts came back, and she barely noticed as Asuka shot her a glance as she walked past.

She turned around, rolling her eyes. "You can either stand there freaking out, four eyes, or you can hurry up and stop other people from being stepped on." Without waiting for a reply, she turned back around and headed to the cages. _"It's not as though I'm not scared as well, but we have a job to do,"_ she thought, rationalising her behaviour to herself. "Ah... fuck," she sighed. _"I'll talk to her properly when we get back..."_

She quickly walked down to the cage, and headed towards Mechagodzilla 01. It was larger and bulkier than an Evangelion, stood at 100m, and, like 02 and MOGUERA, it was clad in dull metallic armour, matching the plugsuits of the pilots. Asuka hated the colour. All that set it apart from Shinji's 02 was a number on the shoulders. EVA-02 had looked like it was hers. MG-01 just looked like another anonymous fighting machine. _"Still... looks aside, it's a damn good weapon,"_ she conceded, laying a palm on the synthetic diamond coating. "Alright, Kiryu. Let's go."

She climbed up a nearby ladder, and clambered into the seat of the entry plug. "01, ready for insertion," she reported, and the entry hatch slid shut. "Commencing insertion," Maya replied over the comms channel. Asuka felt her stomach shift slightly as the plug dropped into the gap between Kiryu's vertebrae. "Spinal connection good, pumping synthetic LCL." Asuka sighed as the foul-tasting green liquid began to fill the tube.

"Commencing neural connection." Her body jolted as control of Kiryu was forced on her mind. For a moment, she felt a presence next to her, but it quickly fled, as usual. She didn't know what it was, but she had her suspicions. _"As long as it doesn't interfere, there's no reason to worry about it,"_ she told herself. _"But... if it tries something..."_

* * *

It was overwhelming. Seeing, tasting, smelling, touching, hearing, thinking, feeling. Nothing was familiar to it, not even itself.

It could see a dark sky, the stars hidden by clouds. Turning around, it saw a vast lake of red water, and a giant skull within it.

Turning back around, it saw an Ant staring down at it. The new creature was dwarfed by the insect, who leaned down to feel it with her antennae. Instinctively, the creature shot a lump of itself at the Ant, and it landed on her head. She reared up and struggled as the slimy lump burnt through her exoskeleton and melted away her innards.

The lump quickly squirted forwards, and rejoined its body. The creature could smell something nearby, something appealing. It dragged itself towards it, and found the remains of a cigarette. Ravenous, it leaped onto the side of the rolled paper, and began to eat. And with each toxic ingestion, Hedorah grew larger.

* * *

Arras was no stranger to destruction. Over a hundred years ago, thousands had died in the mud outside the city, and death had rained down from the sky onto the houses below.

And now, the city and surrounding countryside burned again. Smoke clouded the sky, reducing Asuka's visibility to a few metres. The infrared laser wasn't much better. She made her way slowly down Rue du 8 Mai 1945, scanning for any sign of Godzilla. "I'm clear here so far. Shinji, what have you got?" she asked, not realising that she was whispering. "Rue Raoul Briquet is clear," he whispered back, Asuka rolling her eyes as she strained to hear him. "Mari?" "Avenue d'Immercourt is clear. Where the fuck is it?" "Quiet," Asuka snapped, annoyed to hear her own thoughts vocalised.

Kiryu's course shifted slightly. "What the fuck is wrong with it now?!", she muttered, bringing up a diagnostic screen. Everything was working fine, apparently. She raised a hand to reset the diagnostic screen, and realised what was wrong. Her hands were shaking. "Fuck", she sighed.

Something began to emerge from the smoke, and Asuka tensed up, then sighed as she realised that it was just a burnt out car. Something caught her eye, however, and she stopped to take a closer look. She regretted it. There were the charred remains of bodies inside. Two black lumps of flesh in front, and two smaller ones in the back. Asuka looked away and kept going. _"I've seen enough of that already,"_ she thought, staring a thousand yards ahead.

Suddenly, something darted off to the right ahead of her. "Shit!", she swore, turning to follow it. "I have a contact, something small and quick. I can deal with it by myself, you two keep looking!" "Alright," Shinji said hesitantly. Mari simply grunted.

The thing dashed across Asuka's line of sight again, this time to the left. Gritting her teeth, she turned to go after it, bit soon she had lost it in the smoke. "Fuck!", she muttered, only for it to appear again, sprinting away from her. She followed it towards the hospital, only for it to fade into the smoke again. Then, another sped across in front of her. Two more darted away from her, and she gritted her teeth as they continued to taunt her.

A particularly daring one walked up to her, and she finally got a clear look at it. It looked like a small T. Rex, with small knife-like dorsal plates running down it's spine. Asuka sighed, realising that it wasn't Godzilla, just something that looked slightly like it. _"Godzilla without the god... but... they still did all of **this**."_ She stepped forward to crush it under Kiryu's feet, and it slowly backed away until Asuka had her back to the hospital. Then, it turned around and sprinted away.

Asuka sighed. _"Fuck, these things are annoying."_ She paused to assess the situation. _"They're faster than me, and they can hide in the smoke... if we could somehow -"_ she heard concrete smash on the ground behind her, and turned around in time to see the adult Zilla pounce on her, slamming Kiryu to the ground.


End file.
